


Dancing with the One I Love

by killthwight



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Bra knows how to fight, Canon Compliant up to DBZ, Canon is optional from DBS onwards, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Family Dynamics, Femslash February, Femslash February 2021, No One Is Perfect, Non-Chronological, Slice of Life, Sparring, Trauma, Violence against Children, but no one ever stays dead in DB, no beta we die like men, other background pairings, unreliable narrators
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:13:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 21,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29166246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killthwight/pseuds/killthwight
Summary: Before replying she extended a hand over the sticky bar table, palm facing up. Bra took it in hers, and Pan squeezed. “Thanks, but I’ve given it some thought, and I’m sure.”Ficlets and drabbles for the Femslash February 2021 challenge. Each chapter will correspond to one prompt and they all cover different moments in Bra and Pan's lives.
Relationships: Bra Briefs/Son Pan
Comments: 10
Kudos: 12





	1. Red

**Author's Note:**

> All prompts are from the [Femslash February 2021](https://femslashfeb.tumblr.com/post/641624167804960768/any-world-any-fandom-ocs-however-you-art-or) challenge on Tumblr. The chapters are titled according to each of the daily prompts. These short snapshots all happen within the same universe, although they won't be added in chronological order. I'll update the tags as I go along and if I miss a day I'll update twice the following day. I hope you guys enjoy these ficlets as much as I'm enjoying the process of writing them daily.
> 
> Feb 05 update: I should let everyone know that while I have an idea of what's going on in DBS (Eschalotte lol), I haven't followed the series closely, so some of the current canon details might be off. I'm comfortable with canon all the way to _Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!_ (jfc I just realized that it was released _13 years ago_ ), and some of what's in the fic is also my personal headcanon (I find it hard to believe Vegeta and Bulma would have a half-Saiyan daughter who has no interest in fighting).

Pan felt her lungs compress, her back painfully digging into brick and mortar, the air leaving her body as she gasped. She grimaced but had to quickly bring her arms up to protect her face as Bra crashed down into her, punching her forearms instead. “Damn Bra, why do you have to be so brutal?” As a hook punch came for her head she ducked, still with her forearms trying to guard her from the worst of the onslaught. The fist missed her head, and instead Pan felt paint and primer and cement rain down on her hair. “Chill! Your mom is going to kill us if we keep damaging the buildings!”

She heard the other woman panting, and thinking the onslaught to be over, dropped her forearms and lifted her head. Her mistake, because in a few seconds she felt Bra’s forearm against her throat, pinning her against the wall. 

“Yield?”

Pan was breathing hard, surprised. Bra looked beautiful with her threatening frown, blue hair in disarray, brow and lip split open and blood running down her cheek. It looked like Bra had tried to wipe it clean at some point, her face smeared red. 

“I yield.” 

She expected the forearm to release her, but instead she felt Bra’s weight shifting further onto her until their lips connected. Pan tasted the richness of blood, tangy and metallic mixed with the saltiness of sweat, and she smiled into the kiss. 

Bra finally pulled back, removing her arm and gently wiping what Pan assumed was blood from her temple with the same hand, fist bound in a red hand wrap. “I won’t pull my punches if you don’t.” Bra somehow looked both stubborn and apologetic. 

And Pan started laughing, “Sorry, I should have known your competitiveness would kick in when I put too much force into that first back kick.” She leaned in and gave Bra a quick peck on the lips. “I promise to be more careful. Best out of three?”

Bra’s answer was a smile and a step back as she slightly bent her knees and brought her fists up.


	2. Pride

Meals at the Briefs household were frequently chaotic. In Pan’s mind they were often loud and lawless, and Pan was incredibly overwhelmed the first time she sat down for a weekend lunch at the Briefs’ as Bra’s girlfriend. She sat there, petrified, as people she knew since childhood went at each other mercilessly. At first the only people who seemed reasonable during the meals were Bra’s grandparents, smiling pleasantly and asking Pan how her college classes were going, but they weren’t in town often. And so, Pan was regularly left to watch when the family interactions derailed.

To say the Briefs were a proud family was an understatement. Pan knew this very well and had witnessed several instances in which their pride came out when their families got together. Vegeta would famously feel offended by things her grandfather said or did, and it didn’t take much to annoy Bulma. Trunks was frequently competitive and would rub it in her uncle’s face if he won a sparring match, as if they weren’t adult men in their thirties. She also knew this about Bra and thought it was one of the reasons they got along so well—they were both proud women in their own ways. However, it was a whole different situation when Bra’s parents and brother were together without others around to temper them.

Bulma would be affectionate and caring towards Vegeta one second and berate him for breaking something the next. Vegeta, in turn, would be quiet and civil in one moment and just as quickly he would make a judgmental comment, triggering a fiery response from whoever it was he offended. Bulma and Vegeta’s shouting matches were absolutely terrifying, and Pan felt like it was similar to watching an ugly car crash—if the cars were driven by two proud drivers who refused to veer off course. She felt that if her parents talked to each other like that she would be in tears. But the first time Pan tried to comfort Bra after her parents argued loudly, Bra just looked at her and, confused, explained there was nothing wrong.

And Bra didn’t seem to be affected by them. Whenever Trunks made a particularly biting comment, Bra just gave back as good as she got. Pan knew she was capable of cruel remarks, having been the subject of two so far in their relationship. These were followed by long conversations in which Pan had to explain to a bewildered Bra how upset she was and how the comments affected her. Bra seemed a little confused when she apologized, although truly contrite. 

However, it only took Pan a short while to realize that these meals were actually a gift to her. After sitting with Bra’s family a few times, she understood it. It was a sort of verbal sparring, and none of them seemed to be truly offended or hurt. They’d just as soon start laughing again, or they would all gang up on Vegeta and try to embarrass him with what looked to Pan as merely affection. And suddenly what had seemed like hurtful comments made sense, and Pan kicked herself for not realizing confrontation and teasing were part of Bra’s language of intimacy. Pan promised herself to try not to take them so personally next time.


	3. Buttercup

The soft breeze rustled the flowers and the grass blades around them, cooling her down in the summer heat. Bra wouldn’t normally consider a picnic in the middle of nowhere to be an ideal family activity, but she had to admit Pan’s family were proving her wrong. She sat on the grass with Pan, a small distance away from where the others were tending the fire burning under the fish and decapsulating and organizing the side dishes.

Bra had arrived earlier that morning at Pan’s grandparents’ home, wearing clothes she normally wouldn’t have chosen for impressing her girlfriend’s family—but Pan had been insistent on her dressing comfortably, with clothes she wouldn’t mind stained by grass and dirt. She decided that bringing a dessert would be a tricky proposition, considering how Chichi was famous for her cooking, so she thought alcohol would be a better option. In the end she was right, and although Chichi didn’t appear particularly impressed by the bottles of rosé that Bra gave them, she did seem happy with the chilled bottle of lychee wine Bra brought just in case. 

Once everyone convened outside the domed structures of their household, Bra was surprised by Gohan and Goten placing their aircars back into their capsules and lifting up into the air with their own ki. She followed suit, recapsulating her small aircar, and Pan explained that they always ended up flying to a clearing or field her grandfather, father or uncle had chosen—after all, they were the ones who best knew the wilderness surrounding them. 

And so they ended up in a field filled with small wildflowers, sloping slightly up towards the end of the valley, with a loud stream running further downhill. She offered to help set everything up and was promptly shooed by Chichi and Videl, who told her to enjoy some time in the sun with Pan. 

She had collected several yellow and white flowers before sitting down next to Pan, and that’s how she found herself with a pile of flowers in front of her while she slowly braided them. 

“Do you know what these are called?” she asked Pan.

“The flowers? They’re buttercups, I think. My dad probably knows for sure.” Pan was sitting with her arms supporting her weight behind her, legs stretched out, and she looked beautiful with her cropped black hair rustling in the breeze and soft smile on her lips. 

“I think I made the right choice with the lychee wine, your grandmother seemed pretty happy about it.”

“Yeah, I had no idea she liked lychee wine, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her drink before. She’s always very wound up and stressed out about being a ‘good influence’, as she’d say. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for my dad and uncle Goten, growing up with her either tutoring them on schoolwork or fighting.” Pan sighed. “I think she deserves some time to relax, although I think the question is if she’ll give herself that time.”

Bra was half-focusing on the conversation and on braiding flowers, and so she was caught off guard. “Wait, your grandmother Chichi knows how to fight? She taught your dad and your uncle?”

“Well, my uncle; Piccolo’s the one who taught my dad initially. But yeah. Haven’t I ever told you the second time she met my grandpa was during a World Tournament?”

“You did, but I assumed she was part of the crowd.”

“No, she was a competitor. They fought each other in one of the rounds. Why do you think she sometimes wears martial arts outfits?”

“I don’t know, because almost everyone in your family is a martial artist? Or I suppose everyone _is_ a martial artist. That’s so cool, though!” Bra looked up at where Chichi and Videl were spreading out large blankets over the grass, looking at Pan’s grandmother with newfound admiration. “So all the women in your family have taken part in a World Tournament at some point or another.”

“I guess,” Pan shrugged, then repositioned herself, bringing her knees upwards and hugging them with her arms. “But both my grandma and mom stopped practicing and training frequently once they got married. To be honest I’m a little scared of that happening to me too. I don’t want to sound like I’m judging them, but I can’t imagine my life without fighting, without knowing I can protect everyone I love. Even my dad stopped training for a while after getting married.” She was looking at her mother and grandmother, frowning. 

Bra looked back down at the long braid she was making with the flower stems and chose a white one to weave in next. “I’ll be your sugar mama,” then she looked up at Pan and winked, “And you can focus on training all day.”

And just as quickly the frown left Pan’s face and she burst out laughing. “Don’t you have to be a lot older? Plus, I'm older than you are, how could you be my sugar mama?”

“Nope, I can be a sugar mama at any age.” She inspected the length of the long flower braid, and decided it was almost ready. “I think I get it, though. Can you imagine being human and surrounded by these people who fight gods and beings from other dimensions?” She started arranging all the stems when she heard Goku’s voice from across the field, and she saw him waving from the corner of her eye. 

“Pan! Bra! We’re organizing a little family tournament before lunch, do you want to join us?”

Bra quickly lifted her head and freed one of her hands to give him a thumbs up, “Yeah, count me in!”

Pan looked at her, a little embarrassed. “You don’t have to join in if you don’t want to.”

Bra stood up, careful with her flowers, and turned around to face Pan, “Are you kidding? A chance to beat the Sons in family competition? Can you imagine how proud my dad would be if I won?”

It was rewarding to see she could make Pan laugh again as she stood up. “You’re putting the cart in front of the horse, Bra.”

“Hey, let me dream big.” As Pan straightened herself out after beating the remaining grass from her shorts, Bra held out the flower crown made of yellow and white buttercups, then theatrically bowed after Pan took it. “A favor for you, my lady, as your knight rides into battle.”

It was adorable how Pan blushed a bright red, flustered for a few seconds, before putting the flower crown on her head. “Isn’t the lady the one supposed to give the knight a gift? And very optimistic of you to think I’m not taking part in the fighting.” As she finished adjusting the flowers on her short hair she smiled softly at Bra. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Now let’s go kick some old men into the dirt.”


	4. Feather

Pan sat at the foot of her bed, contentedly holding a steaming mug of black coffee under her nose. The bitter smell helped dispel the drowsiness, and the more awake she felt, the more she realized she was satisfied with this lazy, sunny morning. She was sure her hair was sticking up in all directions, her white t-shirt rumpled from sleep, and her mouth still feeling disgusting even after a few sips of coffee, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was the woman brushing her teeth in Pan’s bathroom.

Pan could see her face through the bathroom mirror, and she was breathtaking. Bra stood at the bathroom sink only in her lace blue panties, and her long blue hair was loose, covering most of her pristine back. Pan’s skin was a mess of bruises and scars from years of practice and actual life-threatening fighting, but not Bra’s—she was impeccable, despite hardly being helpless herself. The only exception was the faded scar at the base of Bra's spine, almost identical to Pan's. They made eye contact through the mirror, and Bra turned around, leaning her hip against the bathroom sink. 

“’Morning, sunshine,” she said through a mouthful of toothpaste, corner of her lips turning upwards. 

“’Morning.” Pan was sure she had a sloppy, stupid smile on her lips. “Thanks for brewing coffee.” She marveled as Bra just stood there, no shame about her nakedness in Pan’s small studio apartment. “I was thinking of heading to the corner shop and picking up some dumplings for breakfast, what do you think?”

Bra spit into the sink and rinsed her mouth before replying. “Sounds like a great idea. Would you like me to go, though?” She walked over towards Pan and stopped right in front of her, then gently ran her fingers through Pan’s unruly hair, “I just need to put some clothes on and head downstairs.”

Pan’s heart swelled up, and she felt like she was ready to burst. “Don’t you mind?”

“Not at all.” And Bra leaned in, kissing her softly on the lips while her hand was still in Pan’s hair. 

Pan hummed in contentment, “Thanks.” As she watched Bra get dressed, form fitting black pants and a red blouse in succession, Pan wondered how she could possibly be so lucky; that this woman she’d known since they were both toddlers had somehow corresponded an interest that Pan initially thought juvenile. But not anymore. 

“Any flavor preferences?” 

“Nope, whatever you think looks good.” Pan stood up and walked Bra to the door, and as they kissed again in the empty hallway she felt as light as a feather, as if she could conquer the universe.


	5. Orange

She wasn’t exactly sure how the orange gi had become a symbol of her family instead of Master Kame's pupils, it had happened before she was even born. But she stood there in the waiting room of the World Martial Arts Tournament with her dad and uncle, all three of them in bright orange and navy blue. To be honest, she discovered as a teenager that she wasn’t a big fan of fighting in the outfit, the top feeling oddly loose and bulky on her smaller frame. She had switched out the blue undershirt for a blue sports bra, which made her feel slightly more comfortable, and always wore the black slippers with blue wrappings instead of the unwieldy boots, making her more agile. Nevertheless, she always felt awkward when she wore the gi, especially now as she continued to warm up.

Her dad and uncle, however, were beaming. They seemed to thrive at the championship, and although her dad was still reserved, her uncle greeted everyone who came to talk to them with loud enthusiasm. Unfortunately, there were a lot of them, as word had gotten out that she was Mr Satan’s granddaughter. Or more accurately, her grandfather outed her when he stopped by backstage to wish her good luck. She frowned as she stood from her stretching position, yet another contestant wanting to shake her hand.

“Don’t be so grumpy, Pan, they’re just worried you’ll kick them out of the ring this year,” Goten said cheerfully. “Which is totally fair, you _can_ beat any one of them. Your first fight is against who, again?”

Pan looked over her right shoulder, “The idiot in a mohawk standing by the water fountain.”

“Pan, no reason to offend the man,” her father said, disapproving.

“No, I agree, he does look like an idiot.” She hadn’t seen Trunks as he joined their group, clapping her uncle on the shoulder. “You know you’re a goner, right Goten?”

“Why? What did I do?” 

“My sister will kick your ass right in the first round and you won’t stand a chance.” Trunks smirked, looking disturbingly like his father. 

“Thanks, Trunks. I really appreciate your confidence in my fighting abilities.” Goten stuck his tongue out at his friend, and Pan was amazed at how these two turned into boys again when next to each other. “It really sucks that she drew my number right for the opening match, it’s more fun when we get to fight each other later on.” 

“I agree, and not my fault.” Pan heard Bra from behind her as she also joined the group, arms crossed and not looking particularly happy either. “But don’t worry, I’ll send you home soon enough and you can sit in the stands with our families and cheer us on when the rest of us get to fight each other.”

Goten laughed loudly. “Oh, I missed the shit-talking at tournaments!”

Gohan frowned, his mood turning and disapproval obvious. He then started scanning the crowd instead, “I’m going to go find Piccolo.” 

Pan turned to Bra, worried that she would be offended, but the other girl was now also smirking, and not looking particularly bothered. Pan envied her more inconspicuous and practical outfit, the black tights and tank top looking more comfortable, red hand wraps protecting her fists. Bra caught her looking and winked at her. 

“Are you two excited to be fighting in the adult division for the first time?” Goten asked them, drawing Pan’s attention back to the group.

“Uh, I guess? But we’ll all just end up fighting each other for the title, and we already fight each other all the time, so I don’t really understand what the fuss is all about.” Pan replied.

Trunks scoffed in disbelief and Goten outright laughed. “You’ve become quite an unimpressed teenager, haven’t you?” Trunks said, keeping that stupid smirk on his face. Goten completed his thought. “We spar, Pan. You’ve never fought us seriously before. You’ll understand how fun it is once you’re in the ring.” 

“And thanks,” Bra said. “Now I know that you think fighting me in the junior division was boring.”

Pan was instantly flustered, horrified by what she had accidentally implied. “N-no, that’s not what I meant, I—”

Before she could complete her apology, she heard the announcer on the speakers inviting the first pair of fighters to greet the crowd, and the cheers were deafening. 

“I guess that’s us, Goten. I promise to be careful; I won’t hurt you too badly.” Bra said, uncrossing her arms and starting to walk towards the arena. 

“I’m not promising anything of the sort,” Goten replied. “This year I’m taking the title home.”

Pan, still embarrassed, followed them as they walked towards the exit. “Good luck!”

Bra turned around before she followed Goten, and once again winked at Pan. “I’ll win this match so I can prove to you in the quarter-finals that I’m not a boring opponent.” And with that she entered the arena, the crowd cheering even louder. 

Pan blushed and felt a little ashamed that she hoped Bra would win the match instead of her uncle.


	6. Mermaid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I'll admit I cheated here. The Saturday prompts are for AUs, but I wanted all these ficlets to be part of the same story, so I just used the Mermaid AU prompt as if the word had been Mermaid. I'll do the same for the other Saturday AUs.

Pan was still trying to figure out what the theme for the party was as she inspected the other party-goers—she’d seen it in bold letters on the flyers throughout campus but couldn’t honestly remember. It’s not like she was going to dress up according to a theme anyway, and so had promptly ignored it. But she did identify a vaguely nautical or maritime theme, and thought it odd. 

She was looking for the group of new friends she had gotten to know recently, thinking they were likely already at the party, but was having trouble finding them. She was aimlessly walking through the crowd, bobbing her head to the loud music, and people-watching to distract herself until she found them. There were some cat-people hilariously dressed up as catfish, and some self-important guys looking positively pathetic walking around with tridents. She noticed her plastic cup was already almost empty when she took a final sip and started looking for one of the tables that displayed all the liquor bottles.

It didn’t take long to find one, the plastic surface already sticky with spilled booze and juice. There were several large bottles, a variety of liquor options and juices and soft drinks, and she chose what she assumed was the same mix she had poured herself previously. As she removed the bottle cap, she noticed a very distinctive flash of blue to her left and turned slightly to look. She was surprised to spot Bra across the pool, sitting with a group of people she didn’t recognize. Pan thought Bra had glitter around her eyes, and it looked like she had dyed the front strands of her hair pink. Before she could look away Bra made quick eye-contact, then turned back to her group of friends. 

Pan had not expected to see a familiar face here, a party thrown by a group of older students at the university she had joined less than a semester ago. A little flustered, she turned around and walked towards a courtyard she hadn’t been to yet, and not finding her friends, leaned against a column and went back to sipping her drink and people-watching. 

Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for her to hear a familiar “hey” from behind her. Bra was also holding a plastic cup as she walked up to Pan, who noticed she really had blue and silver glitter around her eyes, and what looked like dark blue eyeliner? Pan wasn’t sure, as the lighting was purposefully dark, and she was hardly an expert on make-up to begin with. Pan was sure she was wearing bright pink lipstick that matched her hair, though.

“Hey, wasn’t expecting to see you here,” she said honestly. 

“I wasn’t either, I didn’t know you were attending ESU.” Bra replied, coming to stand next to Pan, who now noticed she was wearing sequined bell-bottoms and only a small top that looked like a fancy bikini, stomach and back and arms fully exposed. Pan thought she looked great, but that the outfit was slightly strange. 

“Yeah, I started this semester. What are you doing here, aren’t you still in school?”

Pan was surprised to see Bra slightly taken aback, and wondered if this was the first time she was seeing the other girl off-kilter. Bra sipped her drink before replying.

“Yeah, I’m graduating soon. Me and my friends know a few people here and got invited.” Pan nodded as a reply, taking a large gulp of her drink before tearing her eyes away and looking back at the crowd, wondering if her friends had wandered in. “What are you supposed to be dressed as?”

Pan turned back towards Bra, and self-consciously looked down at her baggy green pants. “Me? This is how I dress normally.” 

Bra eyed her with an unreadable look, and just said “Ah, ok.”

Pan was well into feeling buzzed by her drink, which she supposed was a bad sign considering how fast her body usually processed alcohol. “What about you? You look nice, but I have no idea what it’s supposed to be.”

Pan thought Bra frowned before replying, but it was gone before she was sure. “My outfit is supposed to allude to a mermaid. Couldn’t exactly wear a full tail, could I?” The first thought in Pan’s mind was to wonder if Bra also had a scar at the base of her spine, like Pan’s, from having her tail removed at birth. Pan wondered if she’d be able to see it if Bra turned around in those low-hanging bell-bottoms. 

“Makes sense.” They lapsed into a slightly awkward silence before Pan asked, “Are you thinking of applying to ESU? I suppose you’re going into engineering, right?”

“I’m not sure about ESU yet.” Bra paused briefly, and Pan noticed the flashing lights reflecting off of the glitter around her eyes. “Or I guess I can be honest with you—I’m not considering ESU. No offense.”

“None taken.”

“And yes, I’m applying to engineering. I’ll try to make my way into the EECS department.”

“EECS?” Pan asked, confused. 

“Electrical engineering and computer science.” 

“Ah.” Pan replied eloquently, not having even realized the word was actually an acronym. “I guess you’re a direct mix of both of your parents, huh? Trunks didn’t go into engineering, did he?” 

“Yeah, he did, but he specialized in manufacturing, which I think a lot of people don’t directly realize is also an engineering degree.” 

“Oh.” Pan replied eloquently again. 

She was thankfully saved by Bra. “What about you, are you thinking of going into academia, like your dad?”

Pan scoffed. “Hell no. I’m glad to just get a degree, then I’ll see.” She wondered if Bra had dyed her hair pink for the party or if it was permanent, it suited her. “Who knows, if our planet and dimension keep getting invaded by aliens and random gods, I might just specialize in becoming a superhero.”

Bra had an unreadable smile behind the rim of her plastic cup. “It’d suit you.” 

Pan thought her heart skipped a beat as she held Bra’s gaze, before she heard someone calling her name in the distance. She didn’t immediately break eye contact, but she felt her friends walking towards them, and finally looked up, raising her hand to show she had seen them. “Do you want to come hang out with us? Those are my friends.” 

Bra looked at the group and then back at Pan, “Thanks, but I should head back to my friends, they are probably wondering where I am.” 

“Sure. I guess I’ll see you at the next barbeque your mom hosts? Do you know when that’ll be?” 

“Not yet, but it should be soon. I’m sure she’ll let you know.”

And reluctantly Pan waved goodbye before heading over to the group of people who were waiting for her.


	7. Lips

Bra was breathing deeply, her mouth slightly open, and she definitely had a smile plastered on her face as she tried to get her heartbeat back to normal. She was lying on the grass on her back, arms and legs sprawled in the semi-darkness as the lights from the main Capsule Corp building illuminated them from a distance. It didn’t sound like Pan was doing much better, also breathing hard on the ground next to Bra. 

She normally didn’t spar at these events, preferring to sit a little out of the way to just observe as others paired off into frequently half-drunken matches. If the party wasn’t interrupted by someone warning that the world was about to end, that is. But she made an exception for Pan, who had looked a little miserable a few hours earlier. 

Her mom frequently hosted friends, family and old foes alike in large gatherings and parties, and she didn’t need much of an excuse. Sometimes it was someone’s birthday, sometimes her mom just felt nostalgic. Attendance wasn’t always guaranteed either, but this year almost everyone had shown up—all the Sons were there, uncle Yamcha with Puar, Marron and her parents, Piccolo scarily scowling from a corner. Even people she rarely ever saw but knew her mom and Goku were friends with, like the guy with three eyes and the creepy little guy who looked like a doll. She was aware that they had all joined the fight against her dad when he first landed on Earth, having secretly seen the footage years earlier, but she couldn’t really remember their names. 

As predicted, after the long feast and a couple of hours for digestion and fooling around singing karaoke, a few of the older fighters started pairing off in light-hearted contests, and she saw uncle Yamcha laughing at something the guy with three eyes said mid-bout, almost doubling over. She had no idea what it possibly could be about, but she noticed Pan sitting by herself at one of the round tables, arms crossed. 

“Everything ok?” Bra asked, sitting on the chair next to Pan’s. 

“Yeah, just worried about something.” Pan replied, still looking at the others across the lawn, Kuririn now joining uncle Yamcha, and they both threw the three-eyed guy to the ground, laughing. 

“Anything I can help with?” Bra asked, a little worried. 

Pan finally turned around to look at her, and Bra thought it was the first time Pan paid attention to her this afternoon. “Maybe,” she said, “D’you want to spar with me? I could use that to clear my head.”

Bra normally would have said no, not wanting to ruin her hair and make-up, and secretly thinking the sparring to be something the old-timers did out of sentimentality for times long gone—or her dad challenging Goku out of spite, either one happened often enough at these gatherings. But she didn’t hesitate to say, “Sure.” 

Pan sighed. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

Bra stood up. “I just need to go back to the house to get changed. Do you want to borrow some clothes?”

Pan looked down at herself, wearing baggy black pants, t-shirt and a hoodie. “No, thanks, I think I’m fine in this.”

“Ok, meet me at the west lawn in ten minutes, we’ll be out of the way there.” Bra quickly went in to change and grab a pair of hand wraps. She knew Pan didn’t normally wear them but grabbed a second pair just in case, and a couple of arm bands.

Pan was quiet at first—they exchanged light punches and kicks on the ground, Bra following Pan’s lead, none of them hard enough to bruise or injure, until Pan started to relax. Eventually she jumped up high in the air and came down on Bra with a hard heel kick, and she took it as her cue to speed up. 

“Sorry for making you leave the party, Bra.” Pan panted once they were both up in the air several minutes later, circling each other. Pan came in with a straight-forward right-hand punch that Bra evaded easily. “I overheard my dad, my grandpa and your dad talking about another inter-dimensional competition, and they seemed really serious.” Bra kept dodging, then came in with an undercut punch, aiming for Pan’s midriff. But Pan grabbed her fist in time and spun her out of the way. “I know the three of them are basically gods themselves at this point, but they’re still mortal, aren’t they? I can’t help but worry.” 

Bra used the spinning motion to strike with a side whip kick, throwing her leg high and aiming for Pan’s head. Pan managed to catch her heel and held her in place. “I know, I worry too. But there’s not much point in worrying, is there? They’re going to fight anyway.” Bra managed to pull her foot loose and moved back. “Or are you upset that they don’t ever invite any of us to join them?” 

Pan frowned, fists still up guarding her face. “I guess it’s a bit of both.” She looked upset again, “At my age my dad had defeated Cell and fought Buu, and it sounds like he was already almost as strong as he is today.”

“Well, they need all of us here to protect the planet, because there’s a stupid alien with a grudge landing every other year looking to destroy us, and our parents aren’t always around when that happens.” Bra replied, dropping to the ground to grab a water bottle. “Plus, at our age my dad was still sulking across the galaxy, weaker than we were as kids. You were famously flying as a baby, while I only learned how to levitate at four. We all have different experiences, and your time will come soon enough. Don’t wish for it sooner than it has to be; I don’t think most of their experiences were pleasant ones, in spite of how they tell the stories.” She offered the bottle to Pan. “Here, have some before we keep going.”

“Thanks,” Pan mumbled. “I know it’s a double-edged sword, but I don’t like feeling useless.” She took the bottle and after drinking she turned back to Bra. “Seriously, thanks for hearing me out.”

“No problem.” She took the water bottle back, finishing it. “Plus, we aren’t useless. How many times have we had to fight alien goons? And once when we were kids it was pretty serious, remember?”

Pan laughed, “True.”

They kept sparing until the sun set. Some friends and family had come to say goodbye before leaving, but after the interruptions they continued on. By the time it was fully dark Bra was exhausted, and they had dropped down onto the grass. 

As Bra lay there on her back, panting and sweating, muscles feeling heavy and sore, she felt amazingly light-headed. Bra enjoyed practicing, but she rarely had the drive to train until she dropped. She found that she liked it, surprisingly. 

She turned her head to look at Pan, who had her eyes closed as she tried to control her breathing, her chest moving up and down rhythmically. Bra had always thought Pan was a little awkward and strange, and she wasn’t sure if she’d classify them as friends. She rarely saw Pan outside of these events or competitions or actual battles, with few exceptions, like that party a few years ago. But she supposed their shared experiences meant more than she initially thought. 

She turned around, flipping onto her stomach and holding her weight on her elbows and forearms next to Pan. She looked down at the other woman, strands of her shaggy black hair sticking to the sweat on her forehead and shoulders and neck. Pan's hair was as long as Bra had ever seen it, tips almost to her shoulder blades. She noticed Pan’s breathing was finally slowing as her chest began to decrease its intake of air—her t-shirt had been burnt and ripped at some point and Pan had taken it off, continuing only in her sports bra. She had one of her hands up across her breasts, knuckles bruised. Bra also noticed Pan’s lips were chapped, the bottom lip looking a little swollen, perhaps from Pan biting it while fighting. Just then Pan opened her eyes and looked up at Bra and froze, unsure. But Bra wasn’t really thinking, and when Pan looked down at her mouth in turn she leaned in and pressed her lips to Pan’s beneath her. 

Bra thought the kiss was soft, and a little tentative, but when she pulled back and they looked at each other they both smiled.


	8. Yellow

Pan thinks that one of her earliest memories is of the Dragon Balls. She was probably about three or four years old, and the bright yellow of those spheres is vivid in her mind’s eye. Sometimes in the memory they look more like a glassy yellow, sometimes she remembers them as a polished gold, sitting there on the grass. She had been very curious, wanting to touch them to figure out if they felt cold, but her dad had picked her up and placed her on his shoulders so she would be out of the way. 

She remembers her mother crying as she sat on her lap, faint sobs as a small Pan had tried to comfort her. Pan doesn’t know if this had happened before or after the Dragon Balls had been gathered, but she knows it happened around the same time. She still doesn’t know why her mom had been crying. 

But she also knows that the memory of the Dragon Balls includes her first recollection of ever seeing Bra. As her dad had lifted her up, she knows Bra had been standing next to them, bangs short and hair pulled up in a ponytail with a red scrunchie or ribbon. She was likely two or three years old then, and Pan doesn’t know if Bra remembers any of it. But she does, as she thinks of that tiny little girl holding onto her father’s hand and also trying to reach out to the Dragon Balls. 

The memories are bittersweet and fuel her grief as she stands next to her father, grandfather and Vegeta—on an unknown world in a strange dimension. They had gathered Dragon Balls that weren’t yellow here, and hoped that their plan worked. She angrily wipes her tears away as Vegeta invokes this dragon, and she prays to whoever is listening to please let them bring Bra, Bulma and Trunks back to life. Pan vows to do a better job at protecting Bra in the future—to fiercely kiss and tell Bra she loves her when they see each other again.


	9. Shame

Her shoulder hurts from where she hit the grass when she fell, but she supposes her heart hurts even worse. She can hear the crowd cheering wildly, a joy she doesn’t exactly understand as she pulls herself onto her knees. Her rage feels all-consuming, but she only punches the grass once, discreetly, trying to let go of her anger as she swallows a mouthful of blood and shame. 

She lost, but she’ll do her best not to let them know how upset she really feels. She doesn’t want anyone to know how much this had mattered to her, her eyes stinging with tears she won’t allow to spill over, biting her lip. 

“Bra!” And her anger bleeds out when she looks up and sees Pan calling her name and extending her hand from the elevated ring. “Come here, you’re the runner-up! You won second place!” The anger flares up again as she thinks there is no such thing as winning second place, but smiles instead and takes Pan’s hand, who pulls her back up onto the tournament platform. 

Pan keeps Bra’s hand in hers and lifts them both in the air as the crowd continues to cheer, smiling and waving. All Bra can convince herself to do is smile, and remind herself she is still only eleven, and although she lost the tournament, she’ll get other chances to beat Pan.


	10. Daisy

Pan felt unmoored. 

She had sat staring at her coffee that morning for much longer than she anticipated, the drink growing cold as she gripped the mug and smiled at it. She had ended up late for lunch with her friends, and she was distracted for most of the afternoon, warranting some teasing from them. Thankfully they knew her well enough at that point not to be surprised by the bruised knuckles—she didn’t think she’d be able to talk about the previous day’s sparing with Bra without some telling awkwardness.

Pan was still unable to focus when she got home later that day, and she had to give up on completing an assignment she had hoped to get out of the way before the week started. She ended up on the couch in her small studio, the TV a humming reassurance in the background, as she talked herself into sending a message to Bra. 

_You still up?_

Pan felt warm and giddy when her screen lit up with Bra’s reply some ten minutes later. _Yeah, I’m not uncivilized enough to be in bed by 10 ;)_

A second message quickly popped up on her screen. _Tho it does look like I live with barbarians, it’s impossible to keep any icecream in the freezer. I’m craving some & my rude Saiyan relatives already ate the entire 2L bucket ಠ_ಠ_

She snorted at Bra’s complaint, empathizing with her frustration. She stood up and walked the few paces to her fridge. 

Pan replied with a photo of the pints of ice-cream in her freezer, with the caption _The joys of living by urself_. Her tiny studio apartment was a shoebox, but she did not regret moving into it for a single second. She typed out a second message _ur welcome to these pints any time ;)_ but deleted it, then wrote it out again, staring at the screen. She sent the message before she could second-guess herself, then thought she was an idiot for feeling like a shy teenager instead of the 21-year-old woman she was supposed to be.

She kept replaying the kiss in her mind as she stared at her screen, how Bra looked unreadable to Pan right before she leaned in, lips slightly parted. She remembered how Bra’s blue hair escaped the long braid she had plaited, strands almost brushing Pan’s cheek at first. The confusion and joy when Bra pressed her lips to Pan’s, the smile afterwards. 

Her screen lit up again. _That’s very sweet of you thx_ closely followed by _Wanna grab some ice-cream and maybe a movie next week?_ And for the second time in as many days Pan felt completely breathless. 

_Yeah, sounds like a good idea :)_

The following days were a never-ending slog, alternating between anxiety-inducing and joyful message exchanges. Pan tried to examine her feelings for Bra, but always seemed to hit a wall of confusion and insecurity. In a way her previous interactions with Bra, stretching as far back as she could remember, suddenly made more sense. Still, she wasn’t sure if this was a good idea considering how close their families were, the potential drama in case things went sideways. The only true clarity, however, came when she kept replaying the memory of the kiss. 

But things clicked into place when she saw Bra waiting for her outside the ice-cream parlor, looking radiant in a daisy and lemon print dress, her hair up in a bun, and a mischievous smile.


	11. Flare

She had never experienced such pain. At the time Pan didn’t know it, but she had broken several ribs, her right femur, and dislocated both of her arms. All in all, they were not injuries that took a long time to heal, with the exception of her femur, which had her in a cast for well over a month. But even that had shocked her doctor, who was befuddled when she was completely healed within two months of her “accident”. 

However, when Pan had initially been crying on the ground, she had little to console her. She had been an arrogant idiot, and she would never repeat her mistake. It had only been the second time in Pan’s lifetime that an alien landed on Earth looking for some kind of hopeless revenge. The previous time Pan had been too small to join in any kind of fighting—she had just seen its purple body laying on the rocky rubble, despite her mother’s best efforts to shield her from the sight. No one had been particularly injured, and Goten and Trunks joked about how easy the fight had been for a few years to come. 

Pan was already an experienced fighter the second time it happened, and she thought she was good at it—not that an eight-year-old was particularly reliable at judging such things. Once they all registered a few high ki signatures streak across the sky, followed by three pods burning bright in Earth’s atmosphere, they all knew what was happening. Pan remembers her uncle running out of her grandparents’ house, and she demanded to be taken with him. Goten had been keeping an eye on her for her mother, and he gave in quickly. 

The flight had seemed interminable to Pan, who was full of nervous excitement. When they arrived at the landing site, Piccolo and Trunks were already arguing with the green people in armor. Pan heard them warning the green men to leave, otherwise they’d die, and an ugly glee coursed through her. 

Her mistake was due entirely to childish conceit. She thought the adults were dealing with the situation easily enough—although later she learned the fight wasn’t as straightforward as it’d looked to her. Wanting to join in, she threw herself on a direct collision course with one the green men, who had just thrown a Super Saiyan Goten against a cliffside. Pan powered up as much as she could, her aura flashing gold, but it hadn’t been enough. The green man turned around quickly and before she could slam her shoulder against him, he just grabbed her by the arms and slammed a knee against her small chest. She’d gasped, and even though her arms were already out of their sockets at this point, ribs shattered, she had tried a side kick. But that didn’t work either, and the green man just grabbed her foot and slammed his other arm against her extended leg. He then threw her like a rag doll onto the ground. 

And that’s where Pan, hair once again black, cried in agony and humiliation. She had heard her uncle screaming her name, but she couldn’t really see much through the tears. Unexpectedly, Pan’s uninjured leg was grabbed and slowly she was pulled further away from the battlefield. Her arms had dragged over the dirt, and she tried not to sob. Then whoever it was let go of her foot and Pan heard crunching gravel as they moved to her side. Relief flooded her when she saw Bra lean over her, shouting, “Pan! Pan, are you ok?”

Pan sobbed out a quiet “No,” then shut her eyes tight, hot with shame. 

“Hang on, it’ll be ok! I’ll stay with you until it’s over.” Bra still had her bangs back then, her round cheeks flushed and determination clear in her voice.

It had felt like an eternity, Bra’s hand on her forehead as she narrated what was going on in the battlefield. Pan had stopped crying, listening intently. Until suddenly she sensed an immense ki outburst—before she knew it, Bra had jumped over her prone body and scooped her in her small arms, back to the oncoming attack. It all happened in an instant, but Pan remembers Bra’s ki skyrocketing as her golden aura flared up around them, followed by a massive blast enveloping them. The ground shook with the force of the impact, and Bra screamed as her ki increased even further, the golden light blinding Pan and the loud roar deafening. 

Pan woke up in the hospital later and was told they were both found in the center of a large crater, unconscious and unharmed besides Pan’s original wounds. Apparently one of the aliens had thrown a ki blast at both girls, hoping to distract Piccolo, Goten and Trunks to gain the upper hand. While the attack did initially distract the three men, the alien had not expected Bra’s outburst, the shockwave of her ki throwing him backwards. Trunks took the opportunity to power up a Galick Gun and take him out. 

Originally Pan hated the memory, a moment of despair and weakness, an enormous failure. She didn’t think she’d ever forget the pain or the heat of Bra’s aura, the rawness of her scream. But now, as she runs her fingers through Bra’s hair, she reframes it. This would never be a happy memory, even if as adults they laughed about what happened. Pan still doesn’t know if that was the event that triggered Bra’s transformation, or if she had been able to do it beforehand. But Pan feels honored that the tiny seven-year-old hadn’t even thought twice about protecting her, that it had prompted such a powerful outburst. She kisses Bra’s forehead, chest filling with pride, and she considers herself lucky.


	12. Green

Now that Bra knew what she was getting into, she came prepared. She brought a small case full of capsules, and once they landed on a granite plateau, she realized she had made the right decision. The air was cooler, the seasons definitely changing, and a chilly breeze rustled the pine needles. The sun’s intensity still couldn’t be underestimated, though. 

Once their main picnic site was agreed upon and everyone went their separate ways to organize blankets and food and get a fire going, Bra went up to Pan’s mother. “Uh, Videl?” 

The other woman turned towards her. “Yes, Bra?”

“I brought some supplies for the picnic; would you like to take a look at them and see if they’re useful?” She pulled out her capsule case and started turning the little cylinders around so Videl could see the labels. “I have a wooden picnic table, a large canopy for some shade, a cooler filled with ice and some drinks. Do you think you’d like to use any of them?”

“Oh, that’s so thoughtful of you! Yes, the table will definitely make it easier to serve the food, and a canopy would be great—there isn’t as much shade up here.” Pan was standing behind her mother and gave Bra a thumbs up. Chichi noticed and glared at her granddaughter. 

She decapsulated the items, and after the four women decided where the table and canopy would go, Bra decapsulated the cooler—after all she could use a beer. She handed a beer bottle to Pan, and Videl asked for one too. “Chichi, there’s lychee wine and plum wine in the cooler, would you like some?”

“Yes,” both Pan and Videl turned around to stare at the matriarch. “I’d like some lychee wine.”

Bra mentally high-fived herself and dug in the cooler for the bottle. After retrieving it and serving Chichi some wine, she turned to the newcomer. “Opal, would you like anything to drink?”

The other woman looked at Bra, startled. “Uh, I’ll have a beer too, please.” She looked uncomfortable and out of place, and Bra sincerely hoped Goten had explained how unusual his family truly was to his girlfriend—or partner? Fiancée? She wasn’t sure what the parameters for including someone new to these family events were, especially someone who was an outsider.

The men returned with a giant boar they wanted to roast, and Bra supposed she shouldn’t be surprised that Piccolo turned up with them. Bra had always thought he was intimidating, taller than everyone else, frequently scowling, and wider than most doorframes with those enormous shoulder pads. He wasn’t a man of many words either, or at least not when she was around. 

As they waited for the boar to roast, Goku made an announcement. “Ok everyone, time for some fun! Who wants to fight?” Bra had to hold back a snort when she noticed both Gohan and Goten grimacing.

“Thanks Dad, but I shouldn’t today. I’ll be a guest lecturer tomorrow, and I don’t think I should show up with a black eye or split lip.” Gohan said apologetically. 

“Yeah, I think I’ll sit this one out too.” Goten looked at Opal nervously.

“I’ll join in, but it’ll hardly be a tournament if it’s just us, Grandpa.” Pan looked at Bra, hopeful. “Bra?”

“Sorry, but I’m not joining in this time either. I already had a couple of beers,” Bra lifted her half-empty bottle in demonstration. “I don’t think I should be throwing punches.” 

"Videl?"

"Sorry, Goku. I wasn't planning on fighting either."

Goku turned to the tall man standing next to Gohan, starting to sound a little desperate. “Piccolo?”

“No,” was the short and curt answer he got. 

“Oh, come on, guys!” Bra held in a laugh as Goku practically pouted. “It isn’t a family gathering without fighting!” In the end Chichi convinced Goku to help set out the dishes and the food instead.

And so Bra ended up sitting on a large granite boulder with Pan and Videl, soaking in the sun and waiting for lunch. “So, do you think Opal knows Goten is half-alien?”

Pan playfully hit Bra on the shoulder and Videl started laughing. “I doubt it,” Videl said, looking at the couple, who were sitting under a pine tree. “I know that nervous look, Pan’s father looked the same when he introduced me to Goku and just casually told me his father was dead.”

“He didn’t!” 

“Oh, he did.” Videl smiled, amused. “Getting him to tell me everything took a while. Maybe it’ll be easier for Goten, Opal isn’t a martial artist, she might not really understand how most people here are unusually powerful. Although I wonder what she thought when everyone started flying.”

“Oof, that’s tough.” Then Bra grabbed Pan’s arm, mischievous. “Aren’t you glad you don’t have to break any shocking news to me? No nervous conversations about family secrets?” 

Pan blushed, and Videl started laughing again. “Mom, don’t encourage her!”

Videl continued laughing, not dissuaded by her daughter. “Sorry Pan, she’s right, though. If anyone needs to be nervous it’s you. No offense, Bra, but your parents are formidable—if I were in Pan’s shoes, I’d worry about having them as in-laws someday.”

“Mom!” 

“Oh, no offense taken, they’ll be a complete nightmare. I swear to protect you, Pan.” She grabbed Pan’s hand and kissed it, causing Pan to blush an even darker shade of red and Videl started laughing again.

“Can we please stop talking about in-laws?”

Bra completely ignored her and held onto her hand. “Although if I’m honest with you, I worry about having Piccolo as an in-law. He’s scary, and I don’t think he likes me.”

“Bra! He wouldn’t be your in-law anyway.” Pan replied, a little scandalized.

“Well, he would. He sort of raised your dad, he’s one of your dad’s best friends and he babysat you. He’d be my what—uncle-in-law? Is that a thing?”

“Great-uncle-in-law?” Videl supplied helpfully. 

“Thank you! Great-uncle-in-law it is.” Bra said, looking at the tall green man who was listening to Gohan. “Who photosynthesizes and doesn’t like me.”

“It’s not that he doesn’t like you, Bra, he’s just like that. He was just as protective of Gohan. You’ll see how nice he is eventually.” Videl said. 

Pan felt like she was ready to die, “You two do realize he can hear absolutely everything you’re saying, right?”

“What, really? But he’s talking to your dad, isn’t he?” Bra sat up straighter, looking at the two men standing next to the roasting boar. 

“Yes, but look at his ear twitching. He’s definitely paying attention.” Pan pointed out. 

And Bra, impulsive, did the first thing that came to mind, speaking in the same tone of voice. “Mr. Piccolo, please don’t hate me, I want the best for Pan.”

And Piccolo instantly turned his head to glare at them, ignoring what Gohan was saying. Videl laughed even louder this time, and Pan covered her face with her hands. Bra took Piccolo’s glare as a positive sign, and waved at him. “Thank you for understanding, Mr. Piccolo!”


	13. Paranormal

Bra came to slowly, her vision blurry at first but gradually she became aware of her surroundings. She noticed the sky was a bubblegum pink, yellow clouds slowly being blown by a breeze she couldn’t feel, and she thought she might be hallucinating. But she heard her mother arguing with someone, and bit by bit she started remembering things. She winced.

“Bra? Are you ok?” She turned to see Trunks was squatting next to her, and she sat up.

“I don’t know,” she replied honestly. She looked at her hands and arms, skin intact. The image of skin burning off of her muscles and her mother screaming flashed in front of her eyes. “What happened? I thought we’d die for sure.”

“Oh, we died alright.” He pointed at the golden halo over his head, and Bra gasped. “We’re somewhere in the afterlife, although I don’t know where exactly. I’m not sure why we weren’t taken to King Yemma this time.” 

Bra looked at her hands and arms again, remembering the blast eating into the fabric of her hand wraps, skin bubbling and melting away. The pain had been excruciating, and she thought she’d never forget the foul stench of burnt flesh and hair. But now her hand wraps were once again intact, and she moved her hands upwards to touch her hair—all there, in the same braid she had plaited that morning. 

“Are we ghosts now? What happened?” She then turned to Trunks, who also looked the same as he had earlier that day, grey gi and orange obi as good as new. The last she remembered, she had been hugging him, their mother protected between them, when they were hit. His gi had been ripped and his face covered in blood, nose broken. “Why couldn’t we use our ki to defend ourselves from the blast? I’d never felt that kind of heat before.”

He decided to sit next to her, cross-legged, instead of keeping his squatting position. “I think it was radioactive, not a ki blast.” And suddenly it made sense in Bra’s mind—she didn’t remember feeling a ki spike strong enough to justify the impact. “No matter how much we powered up, ki wouldn’t be able to protect us.”

Bra nodded. “It also explains why the three of us were vaporized, even though we were both using all our ki.” She remembered the screaming again, her voice, Trunks’ and their mother’s deafening in her ears as the world ended. “We failed, Trunks. We failed to protect Mom.” 

Trunks sighed, rubbing a hand against his forehead. “I know.” Then he made eye contact with Bra, before they both looked up at where their mother was loudly berating a stocky, blue catfish-like man. “But I don’t know what else we could have done.” The catfish man’s antennae twitched before he angrily replied, not the least bit intimidated.

“Well, at least Mom doesn’t seem too wobbly after dying.”

“We’ve both died before.” Bra winced, having forgotten. “And Mom has seen enough death that I don’t think it really fazes her anymore. She’s just angry.”

“Yeah, I can see that. Who’s the unfortunate guy she’s screaming at?”

“King Kai, he’s the guardian of our quadrant.” 

“Oh.” She replied, still too upset for a joke. “What are we going to do, Trunks? There has to be _something_ we can do to help from here.”

Trunks shook his head, apologetic. “I’m sorry Bra, we’re dead. We don’t even have our bodies anymore. We’ll have to hold on tight and hope for the best. I’m sure Dad will figure something out. Maybe he’ll even be able to bring me and Mom back to life again.”

It was then that the reality of what had happened hit her—it wasn’t because they were conscious and apparently corporeal that everything would be fine. They were dead. She didn't even know if they’d be able to be brought back together again, alive and well on Earth. She felt her eyes sting, starting to fill with tears, and she did her best to not cry. “What about Pan? Is she ok?”

“Yes, King Kai said she’s fighting with Goku and Dad. She’s strong, she’ll be fine.” And with that Bra couldn’t hold back anymore, tears spilling over. She hung her head, trying to stop Trunks from seeing how desperate she felt. But her brother knew her and hugged her tight. Bra cried for her family and for Pan, she cried as she remembered the screaming and the heat. Eventually she felt her brother’s tears on her shoulder as well, and she wasn’t sure for how long they held each other.


	14. Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pure fluff for Valentine's Day. Please be aware that I'm raising the rating to Mature here.

Pan felt mellow and comfortable as she slowly woke up, and she knew the sun was flooding her small apartment even if she hadn’t yet opened her eyes. She could also feel fingers gently stroking her short hair, running from root to tip.

Bra was warm next to her, and Pan started running her fingers over Bra’s ribs in turn, over where her heart was beating steadily. Then Pan continued, tracing the underside of her breast. 

“Well, someone woke up happy. ‘Morning, sunshine.”

Pan opened her eyes and looked up at Bra, smiling. “Good morning.” Bra’s long hair was loose, pulled over the shoulder opposite to the one Pan was laying on. It covered the breast Pan had just grazed with her fingertips, nipple poking through the strands. Pan started playing with the tips of Bra’s hair instead. “Have you been awake for a while?”

Bra hummed in agreement, and Pan could feel it through her ribcage. “Maybe for an hour now? I’ve been reading.” She lifted up the open book in her hand, showing Pan the pastel colors on the cover. She then dropped it open on the bedsheets and pulled Pan closer with both arms. It was Pan’s turn to hum in contentment. 

They fell into silence, and she felt Bra’s fingertips move from her hair to her neck, then tracing circles on her shoulder blades. She continued to move downward along Pan’s spine, touching each vertebra in turn, until she got to the faded scar on the base on Pan’s spine. She held her hand still for a little while, then traced circles over it. 

“Do you ever wonder what it’d feel like?”

“Wonder about what?” Pan asked, not sure if Bra was referring to the scar. She looked back up, her chin on Bra’s shoulder.

“A tail. Our tails.” Bra sighed. “I sometimes wonder what it’d have been like to still have it. Would my tail have been blue, or just brown?”

“Hmm, I like the idea of a blue tail on you.”

“And what would it feel like? It sounds like they were really sensitive.” Her smile was mischievous, and she pressed down on Pan’s scar. Pan cried out, the sensation a strange mixture of pain and pleasure. “See?”

Pan was a little breathless, taken completely by surprise. “I take your point.”

“Sex must have been very interesting with them.”

Pan laughed. “I should have known you were going to go there.” 

“What? It’s true! Maybe we should gather the Dragon Balls and wish them back just for a day and try it out. Spend a day in bed and figure out all the ways they’d be fun.”

“Bra, no.” Pan lifted herself up on her elbow to look at Bra directly, embarrassed. 

“I think you meant to say ‘Bra, yes’?” Then she laughed and gave Pan a bright smile. “Ok, just think about it. Maybe it could be a one-year anniversary gift for ourselves.”

Pan frowned. “One year? Already?” She then paused, “What are we using as an anniversary? Our first date?”

Bra laughed again, and Pan was taken by surprised when she was kissed, the force of it pushing her onto her back and their positions reversed. Bra’s legs intertwined with hers as she deepened the kiss, hand on Pan’s neck. She felt her heartbeat picking up, her chest tightening with affection. Then Bra pulled back, smiling. “I was thinking of the day of our first kiss as an anniversary date instead.”

“Ok, that works for me,” Pan replied, no interest in disagreeing with Bra. Then she frowned again. “Wait, when was that?”

“You’re hopeless.” Bra kissed her again, then pressed their foreheads together. “But I can work with that.”


	15. Free

In the end, Pan had to concede that Bra was right. Gathering the Dragon Balls had been easy, and Shenron asked no questions when Bra made her wish. Pan had felt her weight shift when the dragon’s eyes flashed red, becoming aware of the limb that thrashed behind her. The fur was thick, muscles strong, and it took her a while to control it. She laughed.

But she wasn’t laughing now, breathing short and her thoughts unfocused as Bra ran her fingers through the fur. Then Bra squeezed and Pan gasped, the world tilting on its axis. “Do it again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today is a day for us to rest, so I'm only posting a self-indulgent drabble. If this actually happens in the overall story line is entirely up to you. This is also a call back to a previous drabble of mine, written many years ago.


	16. Blue

Pan was lying on Bra’s bed, trying to read but failing miserably. Her concentration was off, her mind drifting and her body restless. The text was incredibly boring to her, and difficult to understand, dealing with psychophysics experiments and their implications. She had previously been sitting on an armchair in the corner of Bra’s room, and before that she had been sitting on the floor, back propped against Bra’s bed. She had moved around the room, trying to find a place she could concentrate, but it wasn’t any good. She sat up in bed, sighing in frustration. 

“Pan, this is getting really, _really_ distracting.” Bra also sighed, leaning back on her chair. She had her computer in front of her on the desk, lines of text that looked like gibberish to Pan on the screen. “I need to focus on debugging this code. What’s up?”

“Sorry.” Guilt suddenly flooded her. “I didn’t want to bother you. I just can’t focus on my reading.”

“Why don’t you go through some katas or meditate to try and reset?” 

Pan shook her head. “I can try, but I think I’m too tense.” 

“Go throw some punches with my dad, you always seem to relax after some sparring.” Bra swiveled around in her chair, facing her. 

Pan grimaced. “You think that’s a good idea?”

Bra huffed, standing up. “He’s not nearly as scary as he looks.”

“You only say that because he’s your dad.” Pan stood up anyway, dropping the pile of printed and stapled pages on the bed. 

“The worst that can happen is that he’ll scowl the entire time and call you an idiot or a weakling.” Bra said while leaning over her computer, setting it to sleep mode. “Which you shouldn’t take personally, he calls everyone an idiot or a weakling.” She straightened up. “Ok, let’s go find him.”

Neither of them could feel Vegeta’s ki flaring up, meaning he wasn’t doing any high intensity training close by. Bra looked in the usual places she’d expect to find her father, like the kitchen, gravity chamber, or outside the complex. “Huh. Let’s go ask my mom, she probably knows where he is.”

Pan had never been to Bulma’s personal basement lab before. They climbed down a set of stairs that seemed out of the way, and which exited into a vast room, much larger than their living room and kitchen combined. Pan had no idea what all the electronic equipment strewn about used to be or would become, with the exception of a couple of bikes that were in different stages of being pulled apart. The walls were covered in hanging tools or obscured by shelves with even more equipment on them. And the smell was overpowering to Pan—a mix of oil and something burnt that she couldn’t really identify. Bulma sat in front of three large computer screens in the back of the room, although she wasn’t facing them—instead she was talking with Vegeta, who was leaning against her desk, arms crossed. They were too far in the back of the room to be overheard. 

“Aha!” Bra exclaimed as she saw them. “Dad!” she said even louder as they walked towards Bra’s parents, dodging scraps of metal on the ground. “What are you up to?”

Both Bulma and Vegeta seemed to finally notice them, although Pan was sure Vegeta was already aware that they had been entering the room. “None of your business.” Vegeta’s frown deepened, but he didn’t move from his position against Bulma’s desk. 

“Excellent. Would you be interested in sparing an hour or so from whatever isn’t my business to spar with Pan instead?” Bra said, as Pan felt deeply awkward and uncomfortable.

“I—I don’t mean to disturb you,” Pan choked out quickly. “I don’t want to take you away from anything important.” 

Vegeta grunted before Bulma replied loudly. “Nonsense! You aren’t disturbing anyone, Pan, and Vegeta has nothing better to do. He’ll be delighted, it’ll be a great bonding experience.”

Pan thought she heard Vegeta growling—she was now sure this was all a terrible idea. Instead, Vegeta turned towards Bulma. “You know I hate it when you answer for me.”

“Yes, and that won’t ever stop me.” Bulma said, then turned towards her computer screens. “Just be careful and don’t beat her up—you’re an asshole, but not the type of asshole who beats up young women.” 

“I think Pan can take care of herself, Mom.” Bra said, before turning to her father with a frown eerily similar to his. “But don’t even think about bruising her badly. She has to focus on some studying after you’re done.”

Pan now wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole. “Thanks, but I think I’ll be ok.” 

Vegeta grunted again as he looked at her, and pushed himself off of the desk. “Come on, kid.”

As they exited the basement, Bra kissed her on the cheek. “Have fun! I’ll come rescue you in an hour or so.” Bra said cheerfully, and Pan swallowed nervously.

The truth was that Pan had never sparred with Vegeta, much less been alone with him. She followed him silently outside, as he took her to the same western lawn where she had sparred with Bra a few months before, the memory still fresh. She barely had time to remove the long-sleeved shirt she was wearing over a tank top, as Vegeta dropped into a fighting stance. 

Pan was used to sparring partners who were more playful in situations like this, and who wouldn’t have taken the fighting seriously. She should have known Vegeta would never be one of those people as he came towards her with a quick punch combo that she had to block or be thrown off balance. 

In the end they didn’t exchange many words. Within a few minutes Pan had to considerably increase her power level to be able to keep up with him, and before long she couldn’t even remember she had been restless earlier. Vegeta was brutal, taking any opportunity she accidentally gave him to come in with an attack. She recognized some of Bra’s and Trunks’ moves, but Vegeta was merciless with them instead, and she had to be constantly on guard. 

By the time Bra came back, Pan was breathless and sore, but feeling infinitely better. She thought she hadn’t done too poorly, even managing to land several blows. She smiled at Bra, and before returning inside she turned to Vegeta. “Thanks for that. Would you mind sparring with me again sometime? I would appreciate it if I could learn a thing or two from you.”

Vegeta just grunted again. “Do whatever you want.” 

Pan took that as a yes. 

“So, how did it go?” Bra asked as they went back upstairs to her bedroom. 

“I think it went well. I’m not a mess, so I think I held up. It was fun, actually.”

Bra snorted. “Fun? Only you would put it that way.” As they entered her room, Bra grabbed an extra towel for Pan. “Go take a shower, I’ll grab some clothes you can borrow before you go back to studying.”

The warm water relaxed her further, beating on sore shoulders, and Pan knew she would finally be able to concentrate. As she exited the bathroom, wrapped in a towel and hair dripping water onto her back, Bra was waiting. “Here, you can borrow these,” she said, leggings and a shirt in hand.

“Thanks.” Pan said as she unwrapped the towel. As she moved to wrap the towel around her hair instead, Bra gasped audibly. 

“What the hell is that, Pan? You didn’t have that yesterday!” Pan looked down at where Bra was pointing, confused, and noticed a large, splotchy blue and purple bruise starting to form across her ribs, on her right side. 

“Oh, I didn’t think that was actually going to bleed. Your dad kneed me at one point.”

“What! I told him to be careful!” Bra scowled, anger boiling over. 

“No, it’s fine, it was my fault. He thought I was going to block but I didn’t. Don’t be mad at him.” Pan took the clothes from Bra’s hands, worried about her reaction.

Bra gritted her teeth. “You’re too nice for your own good, Pan.”

Pan leaned in and kissed her on the lips. “Sometimes, and that’s why you like me. Now let’s get back to studying, we only have a few more hours to go and I really need to learn about these stimulus detection methods by tomorrow.”

Bra rolled her eyes as she sat back in her computer chair, then smiled at Pan.


	17. Sunflower

Pan was still getting used to mornings at Capsule Corp. There were usually several family members coming in and out of the kitchen, grabbing breakfast on the go or sitting at the kitchen table wolfing down a meal before starting the day. There didn’t seem to be any organization behind any of it, and it didn’t help that she wasn’t a morning person to begin with, usually taking some time to feel like a normal person. 

As she rang the doorbell to the main house’s back door, she prepared herself mentally for the high energy in the kitchen. Bulma opened the door for her. “Good morning, Pan. Come on in.”

“Good morning, Bulma.” But as they entered the kitchen, it was surprisingly empty. 

“Would you like some coffee? I just brewed some.”

“Yes, that’d be great.” Pan replied, removing her jacket and placing it on a chair at the kitchen table. She thanked Bulma when she was handed a mug and sat down in the same chair. “Have you seen Bra this morning?”

“Yes, she went out on a run with Trunks, she should be back soon.” Bulma propped herself against the kitchen counter, the long window that faced the garden illuminating her from behind. That’s when Pan noticed a lovely sunflower arrangement further down the counter. It still had the cellophane wrapping around the vase, and a nice yellow bow tying everything together. Bulma grabbed her own mug of coffee, and just held it under her nose for a little while before taking a sip. “What are you two planning for today?”

“I’m presenting a poster at an event at my university, and Bra agreed to help me figure out the type of clothes I’ll need to wear and shop for a professional-looking outfit.” 

“Oh, that sounds like a lot of fun!” Bulma said enthusiastically. Pan privately disagreed, dreading the experience, but she knew it was necessary. “What’s the poster about? I didn’t know you were taking an academic route.” 

“I’m not, it’s just some results for my honors thesis.” Before she could continue explaining, Vegeta entered the kitchen and immediately sneezed. “Good morning, Vegeta.” 

He frowned after the sneeze, then nodded at her in greeting. 

“’Morning, Mr Grumpy. There’s fresh coffee.” Bulma said, nodding towards the press that sat on the center island counter. 

Before Vegeta could reach the press, he sneezed again. Bulma frowned. “In the thirty years I have known you, I have never seen you sick. Are you getting old on me?” 

“Unfortunately it’s almost forty years, and you’re the human getting old.” Vegeta said while he scanned the room for the offender. He growled and pointed at the sunflower arrangement. “What are those? Bulma, I told you, no flowers in the house.”

Bulma looked at the sunflowers curiously. “These? Sunflowers aren’t toxic.” 

Vegeta sneezed again. “I don’t care what they are. Take them outside or I’ll blast them.”

“Ok, ok, I’ll take them outside.” She placed her mug on the counter and reached out to the arrangement. “I swear, you’re worse than my father’s cat. Tama had no issues with sunflowers.” 

Pan was rooted to her chair, hoping that if she didn’t move no one would notice her. She watched the exchange with wide eyes and kept telling herself it was just banter as Bulma removed the arrangement from the room. 

Thankfully, as Vegeta poured himself a mug of coffee in complete silence, all three Briefs burst through the door, laughing loudly. Bra came over to Pan and gave her a peck on the lips in greeting. “Wait, Dad, I hear you’re allergic to sunflowers?”

“Dad, they’re the least toxic flowers out there.” Trunks said as he opened the fridge and grabbed what looked like one of those fruity drinks with electrolytes. 

Vegeta grumbled. “I’m not allergic to anything, the pollen irritates my sense of smell.”

Bulma laughed, walking over towards him. “Sure.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Your super sense of smell is offended by flowers.” 

All three started laughing again and Vegeta exited the kitchen without grabbing anything to eat, grousing about how they were all idiots. 

After drinking a glass of water, Bra turned to Pan and grabbed her by the hand, leading her out of the kitchen. “Come on, I need to take a shower before we start looking at clothes.” And with that Pan was relieved as they moved further into the Capsule Corp building.


	18. Electric

The aircar landed next to the Capsule Corp complex, and her father parked it expertly between two other cars. But instead of checking in at the main gate, Gohan asked her to walk around the building with him, and then fly over security until they landed in front of the main house. Pan was always surprised when her father broke rules without seeming too worried about what he was doing. 

Bulma opened the main door after he rang the doorbell, wearing a lab coat and what looked like goggles propped on her head. “Right on time, Gohan! Hi Pan.”

Pan wasn’t exactly sure what her father needed from Bulma, and she wasn’t entirely certain how she got roped into accompanying him either. It wasn’t like she couldn’t stay home by herself as a teenager, but her father insisted. 

Bulma led them through the enormous living room, then down a corridor until they reached what looked like a mix between an office and a workshop. Bra was in there, sitting at one of the workstations and very obviously annoyed. 

“Pan, if you’d like you can wait here with Bra, we’ll be right back.” Bulma said absentmindedly, and Pan didn’t even have the time to respond as they continued walking down the hall, talking about some sort of special watch functions. Pan turned around to look at Bra instead. 

“Hey.” Pan noticed the other girl had several tools and cables all around her at her station, and a bright LED light coming from what looked like a magnifying lens on a mechanical arm. Bra was also wearing a lab coat, hair up in a bun and out of the way. She had her arms crossed, and was frowning at Pan. 

“Hi,” Pan replied. “Sorry to bother you, I’m not even sure what I’m doing here.” She walked around the room, looking at the tools and not really recognizing anything. 

She heard Bra sighing behind her. “No worries. It’s the classic ‘don’t bother the adults’ move, right?”

“I suppose so.” Pan then turned around, and noticing the station next to Bra’s was empty, hopped up to sit on it. “What are you up to?”

Bra stretched back on her chair before replying. “I was helping my Mom solder some chips.”

Pan looked at Bra’s station, confused. “I have no idea what you just said.”

Bra scoffed. “An electronic chip?” She picked up a tiny green square that Pan hadn’t even noticed, which seemed to have some even smaller black squares and silver and gold filaments running over it. 

“Ah, ok.” She paused. “And what does solder mean?”

Bra picked up what seemed like an electric wand, connected to a power outlet. “This is a soldering iron. We were melting metal and fixing connections on these chips.”

“Oh, that’s cool.” Pan noticed that Bra seemed to relax a bit in her chair. “Could you show me how you do it? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Bra seemed to relax further. “Sure.” She pulled her tall chair back under the bench, and Pan jumped off of her perch. As Bra repositioned the light and magnifying arm, Pan noticed she wouldn’t be able to see properly by just standing next to her, so she moved behind Bra and levitated, finally being able to see over her head. 

The magnifying lens was right in front of them, and Pan was amazed to see through it a little tendril of smoke come up as Bra held what she had called the soldering iron in one hand and a metal coil in the other. The metallic smell was uncomfortable, and there was a strange incense undertone to it, nothing like what Pan had sensed before. However, Bra’s hair smelled nice, of coconut and some sort of flower, distracting her from the smoke. 

“That’s amazing. You have to have steady hands for it, huh?” Pan said, leaning in further and placing her hands on Bra’s shoulders. 

Bra tensed slightly, but then loosened her muscles again. “Yeah. I can’t train earlier the same day, otherwise my hands shake a bit, and my aim is off.” 

“Makes sense.” Pan kept watching in silence for a while, amazed by Bra’s dexterity and how she knew what she was doing. “And what are you going to do with these chips?”

Bra paused, turning off the iron and pushing herself back from the bench. Pan felt her movement and let go of her shoulders, then dropped back to the ground and moved to stand next to Bra again. “You want the long or the short version?” 

Pan shrugged. “Hit me with the long one, I don’t know if I’ll understand everything, but I’ll try.”

And so Bra launched into an explanation about how her mother was teaching her how to fix these older chips—they were repurposed from an ancient computer, and would become part of a simpler control system for an industrial cooler. Pan got lost at a few points, and wasn’t sure she was understanding everything the other girl said, but she marveled at how excited Bra got the further she continued her explanation. Pan thought Bra’s face lit up, and while she definitely didn’t follow everything, she encouraged Bra to keep going by asking questions. 

Pan didn’t even notice when her father and Bulma returned. She was shoulder to shoulder with Bra at the work bench, once again levitating so they would be at the same height while Bra sat in her tall chair. Pan thought it was endearing how Bra was furiously drawing diagrams on a large sheet of paper. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay for lunch, Gohan?” Bulma asked, Pan becoming aware of their conversation as she still tried to follow Bra’s drawing. 

“Thank you, but we should be going. I still have some lectures I need to prepare today. Thanks for your help, Bulma, I appreciate it.” He paused, and Pan turned around to look at them. “Come on, Pan. We should head home.” 

Pan was surprised to feel a bit upset at having to leave already, wishing he would have accepted Bulma’s offer instead. She turned back to Bra. “Sorry, looks like I have to go. Thanks for taking the time explaining all this stuff to me.” 

Bra smiled. “Yeah, no problem. Any time.”

And with that they exited the building and Pan only realized how irritated and disappointed she felt when they finally got home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies to anyone who actually knows soldering. All I know I picked up by watching my boss solder some microchips at the bench next to mine, so I know next to nothing about it.


	19. Gold

Bra was barely in her twenties and she already felt tired of all the people seeking revenge on her father or Saiyans or even Goku. Logically she understood her father had murdered his way into and through adulthood, likely also dabbling in some genocide, until he settled on Earth. Emotionally it was harder to process, but how many people could he have possibly pissed off? She also didn’t really understand why all these aliens and gods kept knocking on their door wanting to prove themselves stronger than her father and Goku, but here was another one. This time they seemed actually threatening and she noticed even her father was worried. 

The worry had turned out to be warranted as the sky seemed to be on fire, clouds reflecting the colors of ki blasts. They could hear the distant booms as her father, Goku, Gohan, Trunks and Piccolo clashed with the god. Instead, she was on the ground with Pan, holding her hand in support, both of them already bloody and burnt. Their fathers had demanded they step back, which Bra honestly thought was some condescending bullshit. Goten also stood with them, arm and clavicle broken. Then there was an even louder thundering crack and they silently watched in horror as they felt Piccolo’s ki dim, then he fell out of the sky, a speck in the distance. Pan clenched her hand harder, gritting her teeth. Before she could say anything to Pan, they noticed a small plane flying in their direction, alarmingly close in what seemed like an absurd mission. 

“Who’s that?” Goten asked, confused.

“My mother,” Bra replied, gritting her teeth in turn. She could barely feel her mother’s weak ki this far away, but it was still undeniably recognizable. “Fuck.” And she started powering up. 

Pan did the same and squeezed her hand again as both their golden auras erupted around them almost simultaneously. Bra looked at Pan and was incongruously hit with the thought that Pan looked beautiful—brows furrowed in determination, cheek smudged with ash and blood, and fist clenched. 

She was taken by surprise when Pan grabbed her by the back of her neck and kissed her hard. Then she pulled back and pressed their foreheads together. “Go, go get your mom out of here. I’ll go rescue Piccolo.”

“Don’t do anything stupid, Pan.” Bra said, worry curdling in her gut. 

“I won’t, I promise. Stay safe.” And with a last kiss Pan blasted up into the air in what looked like a mad golden fury. 

Before doing the same, Bra turned to Goten. “Are you ok to fly and get out of here if you need to?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” 

And with that it was Bra’s turn to launch herself into the air. She noticed Trunks disengage from the fight and start flying in the same direction as her, and she cursed her mother for being incapable of just staying out of trouble.


	20. Superhero

As Pan walked back into the room, she instantly knew that leaving Bra alone with her parents had been a terrible mistake. Her father looked positively thrilled as he left the room with a “I’ll be right back!” and Bra had that trademark smile that meant she was up to no good. Pan looked at her mother to see if she could figure out what was going on, but Videl just looked like she was indulging them, and that wasn’t helpful.

“Uh, where is Dad going?” Pan asked suspiciously. 

“To get our Saiyamen watches,” her mother answered, confusing her further.

“Why?” Pan asked again, sitting next to Bra on the couch.

“I asked your parents if I could see their superhero outfits. I’ve never seen the Great Saiyamen in action,” Bra replied, now smiling innocently. 

Pan wanted to hide her face in her hands in embarrassment, but didn’t. She had to give Bra some points for figuring out how to please her dad, though. 

Her father quickly came back into the living room holding the two watches and handed one to her mother. “Bra, I don’t know if she’s told you this, but your mother designed these for us. It really saved us a lot of trouble.” 

As he fastened the watch around his wrist, Bra replied sweetly. “Oh, I had no idea! Sounds like something my mom would do.” 

“Ok, here goes!” And with that Pan’s father pressed a button and instantly had the Great Saiyaman outfit on, black tights, green tunic and all. Without needing any prompting, he assumed one of the classic Saiyaman poses, legs flexed and arms up in the air. 

Pan wondered if she’d ever not feel embarrassed by the fact her father was the definition of a dork. 

As her mother stood up and also pressed the button for her transformation, Pan questioned how in the hell her dad had managed to convince her mother to do something so mortifying. Thankfully she didn’t pose, and just removed her helmet instead. 

“That’s so cool!” Bra said, enthusiasm sounding surprisingly genuine. “I knew you guys were real-life superheroes, but it’s totally different actually seeing you as the Saiyamen.”

“Bra, we’re all superheroes by normal people standards.” Pan said, tone a little sour. 

Bra turned to her, frowning. “Don’t rain on your parents’ parade. We don’t have alter-egos and secret identities—or a blockbuster franchise, for that matter.” Then she shifted her attention back to Pan’s parents. “When was the last time you went out to fight crime?”

“Five years ago, maybe?” Videl said. “But I retired, and I mean it this time. Gohan sometimes still goes out as the Great Saiyaman in Satan City.” She then pressed the button on her watch again, returning to her regular day-to-day clothing before sitting down once more. 

Pan’s father didn’t look like he had any intention of removing the outfit, however. “Not as often as I wish I could, though. It was easier to do when we were teenagers.” 

Bra’s smile widened, and Pan prepared herself mentally for what was to come. “Pan, we aren’t teenagers, but we definitely have more time in our hands than your parents do. We should join the Saiya Squad and fight crime!”

Pan’s parents started laughing, and she groaned. “No, absolutely not.”

“Good luck, Bra. I’ve tried to persuade her to join me and become the Great Saiyaman 3, but I’ve never succeeded.”

“Gohan, you have my word that I’ll do my best to convince her.” And then Bra turned around and winked at Pan. She sighed, deciding never to leave Bra alone with her parents again.


	21. Hair

“Pan, you do realize I have no idea what I’m doing, right?” Bra asked, scissors in hand. 

Bra stood behind Pan in her bathroom at Capsule Corp, starting to get really anxious about what Pan had asked her to do. Pan, in turn, sat on a stool in front of the mirror, towel thrown over her bare shoulders. 

“Don’t worry about it, it’s easy, the spikes just end up forming by themselves.” Pan didn’t seem very concerned, looking at herself intently in the mirror. “I just need it to be shorter.”

Bra looked down at Pan’s hair skeptically. It wasn’t that she didn’t think Pan should get a shorter haircut, she just didn’t think she was qualified to do it. Then again, having inherited her mother’s hair meant she wasn’t very familiar with how hair that was closer to a full-blooded Saiyan’s worked. Bra remembered Pan’s hair did go through a more human-looking phase, and she worried that by cutting it short she’d screw the whole thing up. 

“Ok, but I just want to state for the record that if this goes terribly wrong it’s not my fault.”

It didn’t help that this was easily the longest Bra had seen Pan’s hair, reaching her shoulder blades. The request to cut it as short as Pan’s spiky bangs made her more nervous than she expected, and the sheer volume of it was intimidating.

“Stop worrying, Bra. We all cut our hair at home.” With that Pan grabbed the scissors, a tuft of her own hair and cut it closer to the scalp than Bra would have done. “Here, I started it, now go.”

Bra took a deep breath, grabbed at chunk of Pan’s hair at the nape of her neck, and cut it. 

“See? Not too hard, right?” Bra didn’t think Pan’s smile in the mirror was all that reassuring. But without replying she grabbed another handful of hair and kept going.

It turned out it became easier as she went along, clumps of black hair falling to the bathroom floor. 

She thought she was done when most of it was about five fingers in length. “Ok, what do you think?”

Pan inspected herself in the mirror, then ran her fingers through her hair, removing some strands that hadn’t fallen off. Bra would give it to her, the spikes formed again in a different shape to fit the current length, and it didn’t look like a disaster, as she had feared. 

“Do you have clippers? I’d like the sides and back to be shorter, if possible.”

Bra sighed, and without a word left the bathroom. She went down the hallway and knocked on the half-open office door. “Trunks, can I interrupt you for a second?”

Her brother took a few seconds to stop typing at his computer, then looked up. “Shoot.”

“I need your help, can I borrow your hair clippers?”

He frowned, then looked at her suspiciously. “Why?”

“I’m cutting Pan’s hair.”

“Oh, then yeah, sure.” He stood up, and went to get them in his own bathroom, returning with a black pouch. “For a second there I was worried you wanted to prank me and use them for pubic hair.”

Bra scrunched up her nose. “Ew, no. I’m terrible, but not _that_ terrible.” She ended up returning with Trunks in tow. He stood at the doorjamb of her bathroom, propping his weight against it. 

“Ok, I have the clippers and reinforcements. What length should I set this to?” Bra said as she started looking at the different guard sizes. 

“Uh, I don’t know.” Pan then looked up. “Trunks? What do you think?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know either.” He then helpfully lifted up the side of his hair, showing the undercut they only ever fully saw when his hair stood up as a Super Saiyan. “This is a five. Were you thinking longer or shorter than this?”

“Let’s go for a three, then. I’d just like it to be shorter in the back and the sides, and to leave the top as it is.” 

Bra became nervous all over again as she turned on the clippers, the buzzing filling the bathroom, and she froze.

“Go for it, Bra.” Trunks said, encouraging her. “Her hair is a lot easier to cut than ours. It’ll be fine.”

Bra turned towards him, glaring. “And how the hell do you know?”

Trunks shrugged again. “I’ve cut Goten’s hair. Just go for it.”

Once again, the first time she swiped the machine up Pan’s scalp she was terrified. But as she continued it became easier, eventually it was even satisfying, and she got the hang of figuring out where to stop. 

When she finished, she noticed Pan was beaming at the mirror, and sighed in relief. Pan stood up, once again running her fingers through it, and she positively radiated happiness—Bra thought she looked adorable. “It’s perfect, thank you.” She turned around and hugged Bra, affectionately burying her face against her neck. 

“You’re welcome,” she said, and she couldn’t help smiling. “But please don’t ever ask me to do something this nerve-racking ever again.”


	22. Castle

Pan had never been to Central City before. She knew it was the capital city, as well as the largest, but it was still impressive when she saw it sprawling in the distance, the city center obvious with tall buildings defining its skyline. She landed in the city outskirts, popped a capsule open, and retrieved her bicycle. She then pulled her hair up in a messy ponytail so it would stay out of her eyes, before she started making her way downtown. It would take a lot longer to get where she needed to go than she had initially thought, but thankfully she had given herself plenty of time. She started pedaling, keeping the skyscrapers in her line of sight. She knew that Bra’s campus was close to King Castle, so asking for directions once she got closer would be her best bet. 

It took her about an hour of dodging cars, motorbikes and pedestrians until she got to the clock tower where Bra asked her to wait. She placed her bicycle in its capsule again, then slightly raised her ki so it would be easier for Bra to find her in the middle of the student crowd. 

It didn’t take her long to hear a familiar “Pan!” from the crowd. “I’m so glad you made it!”

Pan’s heart skipped a beat, as it did often these days, when Bra approached her and kissed her on the cheek. She blushed, but quickly recovered. “How did the exam go?”

Bra groaned. “It was a pain in the ass. They really should get more creative with their probability questions. But the good news is that exams are over and I’m free as a bird until next semester.” 

Pan smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. What would you like to do to celebrate?”

“Let’s grab some food first, I’m starving! There’s an all-you-can-eat pizza place close by, we can easily make a dent on the number of pies.” And with that Bra repositioned her messenger bag, moving the strap so it was diagonal across her chest, and grabbed Pan’s arm to take her in the right direction.

Pan laughed. “Don’t you feel guilty going to all-you-can-eat restaurants?”

Bra frowned. “No? I rarely get to eat as much as I would like to when I’m with friends. And when I do get to eat my fill, I leave a generous tip.”

As they made their way to one of the campus gates, Pan hadn’t realized that there was also an exit facing King Castle, and she supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised by the number of tourists they had to dodge. She stopped briefly to take in the structure across the street, finding the spikes coming out of the main tower to be a little odd. 

“Oh yeah, you’d never seen the castle before, right?” Bra said, curious.

“No, I’d never been to Central City before. You’d think that when they rebuilt the towers they would have removed the ugly spikes.” Pan frowned at it, then looked back at Bra, as if signaling she was ready to go.

“Rebuilt?” Bra asked, confused.

“Yeah. I don’t know the specifics, but my grandfather destroyed it as a child when he threw Piccolo into the building, apparently.”

“ _What_?” 

Pan shrugged. “It happened a long time ago. And to be honest, which city haven’t they wrecked over the years?”

Bra still looked surprised, but by then they had left the towers behind them, moving further into a commercial area. “Ok, you’ve got to tell me what your grandfather was up to, because it sounds like he was a one-man demolition team even as a kid.”

Pan laughed. “Sure. Just keep in mind I don’t know all the details, and I don’t even know where to start.”

Bra stopped on the sidewalk, and Pan noticed they’d arrived at a restaurant that looked cleaner than she expected for an all-you-can-eat pizza place. Bra seemed to absentmindedly grab her hand, making Pan blush, before entering. “I’ll remember that, just tell me the juicy gossip about the complete mayhem your family has been up to.” Pan blushed again.


	23. Violet

Pan was surprised by the bar Bra had picked for their date. She had arrived early and sat on a stool at a high table in the corner, waiting and watching. The bar was a strange hybrid between a dirty, side of the road establishment—what seemed like a shack on a parking lot—and a pseudo-fancy cocktail bar, with a long series of mirrors where a variety of gin bottles were on display. Pan took advantage of their selection and ordered an Aviation, before going to sit and wait. 

She was almost done with her drink, glass three-quarters empty, when Bra arrived, placing a hand on her shoulder and kissing her on the cheek in greeting. “Hey, I’m going to grab a drink, what are you having?” she asked, as she placed her purse on the table and removed her wallet.

“An Aviation.” 

“Cool, I’ll be right back.” Pan watched as Bra stood at the bar, wearing a flowing knee-length dress and laughing with the bartender, before returning to their table with two glasses. She placed the violet-colored drink in front of Pan and sat at the opposite stool. “I didn’t take you for someone who drank sweet, fruity drinks,” she said, and Pan assumed her tone to be teasing.

“It isn’t fruity,” Pan said, before taking a sip of her drink. “It’s flowery.” She then pushed it towards Bra. “Try it.”

Bra laughed, before taking a sip. “Ok, I admit, it’s flowery. And not as sweet as I thought it’d be.” Then she pushed her own drink towards Pan, offering it. 

“What is it?” Pan asked, lifting it up and sniffing it. 

“A classic gin martini.”

“I thought you’d be the one ordering daring drinks,” Pan said, before sipping it. It was a little drier than how she liked her cocktails, and slightly grimaced. 

Bra laughed again. “Well, here we are, already disappointing each other.” 

Pan frowned, an icy feeling in her stomach as confusion took over. “I’m not disappointed.”

Bra seemed to be taken by surprise in turn, raising her brows. “No, I know, I’m just teasing you.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Pan didn’t know what else to say, feeling awkward. She tried redirection instead. “How did you find this bar? I’ve been living in East City for a while now and I’d never been here.”

“I was here on a date, about a year and a half ago. It didn’t go anywhere, though. She got really queasy with violence and didn’t like that I’m a martial artist.” Bra scoffed. “She had no idea what real violence is like.”

Pan frowned again, curious. “She?”

Bra’s expression became guarded, and Pan thought she could count on one hand the number of times she’d seen the other woman with a similar expression. “Uh, yeah. I met her through friends of friends.” She took a sip of her drink. “Or are you asking because you’re surprised it was a woman?”

Pan instantly regretted her question and tried backpedaling, waving a hand in appeasement. “No, no. Just curious. I haven’t been on that many dates. To be honest I’ve barely gone out with anyone.” 

Bra visibly relaxed, smiling at her again. “Really? Can you count how many dates you’ve been on?”

“Four? Five?” Pan said, scrunching her brows in thought. “Although I don’t think one even counts, I invited a friend who I knew was into martial arts to join me at an event held by the monks at Orin Temple, and he thought it was a date. I only found out at the end, when he tried to kiss me and I had to dodge it.” 

Bra looked like she had been trying to hold in her laughter, but then couldn’t contain it any longer once Pan was done with the story, shoulders shaking. “Oh no! What a disaster!” Once she stopped laughing, Bra turned back to her, smiling. “How come so few dates?”

Pan shrugged, “I don’t know.” She started playing with her glass, running her index finger around its rim, and averting her eyes. “Just rarely felt right. I thought I needed to be in romantic relationships when I was younger, but I guess it was just social pressure? It takes me a while to become interested in someone that way, to be honest, to warm up to the idea of something romantic or sexual. Does that make sense?” 

She heard Bra say a soft “Yeah,” but Pan continued to play with the rim of her glass, stomach in knots. Then she heard a “Hey,” which finally made her look up. Her gaze locked with Bra’s, who seemed unusually serious. “I don’t want to pressure you into anything you don’t want to do. If any of this is uncomfortable for you, let me know, ok?”

Pan felt warmth filling her chest, and she couldn’t help but smile shyly as she shook her head. Before replying she extended a hand over the sticky bar table, palm facing up. Bra took it in hers, and Pan squeezed. “Thanks, but I’ve given it some thought, and I’m sure.” Pan looked away again, instead focusing on their joined hands. She started tracing the side of Bra’s pinky with her thumb, nail grazing delicate skin. “In hindsight I actually think that I’ve had a crush on you for a few years now.” She felt her cheeks warming up and told herself it was the alcohol. “I just didn’t really know that’s what I was feeling.”

Bra started laughing again, and it drew Pan’s eyes back to her. “Well, I’m glad I had no idea what I was doing and made a move, then.” Bra’s eyes seemed to sparkle in the darkness of the bar. “But remember, if either of us is uncomfortable with anything we should let the other know. Deal?”

Pan squeezed her hand again, grateful. “Deal.” She then looked at their glasses, noticing they were both already empty. “Would you like another drink?”

“Yeah. A gin and tonic, please?” 

Pan regretfully let go of her hand before standing up. “Ok, you got it.” She couldn’t help but smile as she walked all the way to the bar.


	24. Lily

The kick to her back had been brutal and unexpected, and as she hurtled through the air she prepared herself for impact. The most she could do was use her forearms to protect her head as she landed full-force into the lake—unfortunately the lake was shallow, and she plummeted straight into the silt and dead plant matter at the bottom, lifting up a cloud of debris in the water. Thankfully, the relatively soft landing meant she wasn’t hurt, although she was still a little dazed as she pushed herself up to the surface. She took in a large gulp of air once her head broke the water line. 

As Pan tried to stabilize her breathing, she realized that she felt slightly oily from all the plant matter in the lake. She cursed and lifted up in the air, shaking her head to get most of the water and debris out of her short hair, then raised her ki to dry herself off. She still felt disgusting, but hoped that between the wind and her ki whatever it was that was still on her skin would evaporate. She then looked down, noticing her impact had pushed all the lily pads to the borders of the lake, now a green and pink ring around the margins and a large, empty circle in the middle. It was then that she noticed Bra was shrieking up above her.

“—why do you insist on being a ruthless jerk?! You noticed that she didn’t see the attack coming, why not just knock her off balance to prove a point?! But no! You have to—”

“Bra!” she heard Trunks shout. “Chill! Pan is fine, see?”

Pan floated up to their level. “Yeah, I’m fine. Might have swallowed some lake water, but other than that I’m fine.” She noticed Bra still looked enraged as she moved closer to Pan to confirm Pan’s assessment. 

“You don’t understand, do you?” Vegeta said, angry. “There is no point in training and not drilling into your heads that opponents _will_ use cheap shots and that you always have to be on your guard. You also have to get used to taking a beating and getting back up as quickly as possible—in battle, no one will wait for you.” 

“Sure Dad, but there’s no need to be cruel!” Bra replied, gesticulating. 

Vegeta growled. “Yes, there is! You’re soft, you’ve never known what true despair feels like during a fight!” Pan’s body shivered at the memory of lying on the ground in agony, eyes filled with tears, but said nothing. 

Bra groaned. “There we go again! We’re soft, and weak, and stupid. I get it. But whose fault is it that we don’t get our hands dirty?!”

Vegeta paused, and it looked like the anger seemed to seep out of him. “You are right. We’ve sheltered you for too long. And that is why we need these training sessions, and I will not pull my blows, not even for you or Pan. Until you understand what it is to pull yourself back up when it feels like you have nothing else to give, you won’t be ready.” 

Bra was still visibly shaking, looking like she was almost snarling. Trunks, however, seemed to agree with his father’s words, hands on his hips. 

“Let’s go again. Everyone power-up to Super Saiyan. Bra and Pan, your objective is to get either me or Trunks to hit the ground.” 

Pan barely had the time to summon her golden aura and Trunks was already trying to knee her in the stomach. She managed to block his move, grabbed his leg and tried using it as leverage to hit him with a kick to his face, leg extended. He managed to dodge, and she let go of his leg, each moving backwards in the air. 

By the end of the day, Pan was exhausted beyond anything she remembered, breathing hard as she rested by the lake shoreline. She had been thrown into the lake so many times, as had Bra and Trunks, that the lake seemed to have only half of the volume of water it started the day with, and all the lily pads had been pulverized. Bra was sitting next to her, Trunks further away from Bra, both also breathing hard—Vegeta stood close by, arms crossed as he looked at them. Pan had managed to land some blows on him, and she felt proud that she was the one who gave him that split eyebrow and bloody cheekbone, but it had been impossible to throw him or punch him or kick him to the ground. Trunks, on the other hand, had been easier, and she’d managed to get him off his feet, so to speak, almost as often as he did her. But even when they fought three against one, all of them teaming up to get Vegeta down, they couldn’t manage it. 

Bra, on the other hand, still looked angry as she sat next to Pan. She had her brows furrowed, looking at the lake, and Pan couldn’t help sitting up and reach out to her, taking her hand. “Hey, you ok?”

Bra sighed and took her time before replying. “Yeah, just nursing my bruised pride.” 

Pan heard Vegeta snort next to them, and in an uncharacteristic move, he sat between his daughter and his son, also facing lake. Even if he didn’t say anything or touch them, it seemed like his action was meant to support them. 

The four of them sat in silence for a while, the three younger fighters still catching their breath, as they looked at the battered lake and felt the air cool down as the sun started to set. Then Pan looked at the three of them, and asked, “So, when are we doing this again?”

She heard Bra groan and saw Vegeta give her a smirk.


	25. Water

The day was unbearably hot. Bulma had invited everyone for a gathering at Capsule Corp in the middle of summer, and Pan’s initial thought was to avoid all such events in future if they were scheduled for days like these. Thankfully Bulma sent out a message to everyone the day of the party suggesting they bring swimwear, because she was moving the barbeque to the pool area of their compound. Pan was relieved. 

The pool turned out to be a necessity, since it was easily one of the warmest days of the year. Pan wondered if people were even going to show up. But in the end the offer of air-conditioning indoors and a pool outdoors on a scorching day was likely a stronger incentive than anything else, and her whole family was in attendance. There was very little ceremony when Pan arrived with her parents, and they were immediately guided by Bulma towards the pool area. 

Pan should also have known that instead of sparring, people would redirect their energies toward goofing off in the water instead. She barely had any time to take off her shirt and shorts, swimsuit underneath, when her grandfather picked her up from behind without a warning and threw her into the large pool. She felt like a disgruntled wet cat when she came up for air, sulking as she heard everyone’s laughter. 

“Not fair, Grandpa!” But she wasn’t the only victim, as Goku also picked up her father, who was protesting and wriggling in his arms before also being thrown in. Pan closed her eyes as water splashed onto her face, and chuckled when her father also came up for air displeased with the situation. 

“Has he been throwing everyone into the pool or are we special victims?” she asked her uncle, who was closest to her by the pool’s edge. 

“He’s pretty much throwing everyone in,” Goten said, smiling. “You should have seen Trunks’ face when he was chucked in the second time. Bulma has been able to avoid him, though. I think the glaring has helped.” 

“My mother will have Goku’s head if he tries that stunt with her.” Trunks said as he waded towards them. 

Pan looked over at where the tables and sun umbrellas were and noticed that her mother had managed to escape as well, sitting at one of the tables with Bulma. She figured her mother had likely shot her grandfather one of her classic, scary glares, and that had deterred him. 

Right then Kuririn arrived with Eighteen and Marron, and she saw her grandfather in action—he unceremoniously picked up Kuririn, who hadn’t even taken his hat off, and threw him in. Kuririn came up with an angry “Oh, come on!” and held his sogging hat in hand. She noticed that he left Eighteen and Marron alone, though.

“Wait, am I the only woman he isn’t scared of? Eighteen and Marron are going to escape too.”

“No, he threw me in too,” Bra said, approaching them and sitting at the edge of the pool. Pan was a little startled as she arrived, then noticed that her long hair was in a messy braid pulled over her shoulder, but very noticeably still wet. “He’s a menace. He arrived before anyone else and threw me and Trunks in as soon as we came downstairs.”

“I still had my phone in my pocket,” Trunks groused. 

“Your Capsule Corp provided phone? Cry me a river,” Bra said, rolling her eyes.

Before anything else could be said they heard a squeal, and Pan turned around to see Marron in midair before also falling in. “Well, I guess he isn’t scared of Marron either.” As predicted, though, he didn’t attempt the same with Eighteen, who joined Pan’s mother and Bulma at a table under the shade of a sun umbrella.

“What about Vegeta? I’d have paid to see that,” Goten said, smile playful.

Trunks snorted and Bra laughed before replying. “I’d pay to see that too. He’s conspicuously missing. I think he noticed what was happening and is making himself scarce. If Goku tries that with him, we might end up with a World War in our backyard.” 

“He’ll definitely be around when the food is ready. We’ll find out if Goku has a sense of self-preservation or not,” Trunks said.

Goten scoffed. “Have you met him? Of course he doesn’t have a sense of self-preservation.” 

“He did avoid throwing in Bulma, Eighteen and my mom, though. He has at least _some_ sense.” Pan said. 

Goku chose that moment to dive-bomb into the pool, splashing everyone who was already wet as well as the women who were sitting close-by, eliciting curses and Bulma loudly screaming, “Dammit, Goku! I’m _never_ inviting you to a pool-party ever again!” 

Her grandfather was oblivious as he swam over to them, grin obvious. “Who wants to shoulder wrestle?” 

Pan groaned.

“Yeah!” Goten exclaimed excitedly. “Trunks, will be my base?” 

“Why don’t I get to wrestle?”

“We’ll switch for the next round.” And that seemed to be settled as Trunks nodded.

“Pan, do you want to sit on my shoulders?” her grandfather asked her cheerfully. 

“Thanks, but I think I’ll sit this one out,” she said, slowly moving backwards to where Bra was sitting at the edge of the pool. 

Her grandfather wasted no time in calling out to her father loudly instead. After some time required for Goku to convince him, parties were established, and her father climbed onto his shoulders. 

Pan just watched, her back to the cool tiles. Bra’s knees were to her left, feet gently moving in the water. They remained in companiable silence for a while, until Pan uncharacteristically broke it. “Are you starting college soon?”

Bra seemed startled as she stopped moving her feet. “Me? Yeah, once summer is over. I’ll be commuting to Central City.”

Pan turned around and looked up at Bra. “So you got into engineering at the school you wanted?”

Bra smiled back. “Yeah, I did.”

“Congratulations.” She moved forward so she supported her weight on her arms next to Bra’s thighs, the sandstone rough in comparison to the tiles pressed against her front. “Not that I doubted you would.”

The smile seemed to reach Bra’s eyes. “Thank you.” They held each other’s gaze for a few seconds, then Pan heard her father shrieking behind her before there was a loud splash. 

Pan didn’t bother turning around. “That was fast.”

“Trunks cheated, I think,” Bra explained. “He used his leg to swipe Goku off of his feet underwater.” 

Pan nodded. She looked up at Bra while the other young woman looked at the wrestling, noticing the navy-blue bikini she wore, more daring than Pan’s swimsuit. She thought the color of the bikini matched the lighter shade of Bra's hair, then when Bra turned back to look at her she quickly averted her gaze. She lowered herself a little bit further in the water so she could rest her cheek on her arms, clearly noticing the smooth skin of Bra’s thigh next to her before closing her eyes. She thought that Bra was more feminine than she was, thigh rounder and muscles not as evident, but she quickly interrupted the thought. They slipped back into silence, Pan relaxing as the sun warmed her shoulders and the water kept the rest of her body cool, Bra’s ki soothing and constant and familiar right next to her. She kept hearing the men splashing and hollering behind her, and she only realized she had started dozing off when Bra lightly touched her shoulder. 

“Hey, food’s ready. Wanna come grab a plate?” Bra said, voice low. As Pan opened her eyes she looked up, and Bra’s smile was soft and almost overwhelming. 

“Hm, yeah, thanks. I think I almost fell asleep.” Pan lifted herself out of the pool, trying to avoid dripping water on the other woman.

“Yeah,” she nodded, also standing up. “Let’s grab something to eat and you can go back to napping in the sun later in the afternoon.”

Pan kept looking at Bra as she led the way, warm and content, and decided she wouldn't mind falling asleep next to Bra again.


	26. Silver

Bra had never been a fan of training until she dropped out of sheer exhaustion. Not when she was a child, and not as a teenager. She rarely had the drive to do it, and she didn’t often put herself in situations where it was expected of her. As an adult she came to terms with the fact that it meant she would never be among the strongest fighters on the planet, but that was fine. She had other interests, drives, and goals, like getting a doctorate in engineering, and fighting didn’t define her—it was just one more thing that she did. 

But slowly, as she got swept up by Pan’s training regimen, either by herself or her family, and eventually with Bra’s father and brother, she discovered she didn’t hate it as much as she thought. 

Her issue with such grueling training was often that she didn’t like the loss of control that came with the exhaustion; the fuzzy thoughts, bad decisions, the irritation. Her father had never had the time or patience to teach her how to deal with these feelings or how to harness them, not really understanding her frustration born out of tiredness. But Pan did. And Bra not only learned to enjoy the power that came with loss of control, she relished the satisfaction afterwards. 

Most of all, she enjoyed the routine she and Pan developed.

She knew they freaked out the employees at the fast-food restaurant—both of them sitting at the waiting area while their massive order was prepared. Pan still had a brown smudge coming down her hairline, clearly blood that had dried while running down her temple—Bra remembered seeing it while it was still crimson. Pan’s tank top was ripped and singed, her leggings covered in dirt and grass, her knuckles an angry red. Bra smiled when she noticed Pan still had a twig in her hair, gently removing it for her as they waited in silence. It was very obvious she had been in a fight, and Bra was sure she didn’t look much better herself, so she didn’t blame the servers when they looked at them with apprehension and suspicion. 

They flew back to Capsule Corp with the order in a warming capsule, then dropped off Trunks’ sizeable portion before heading to Bra’s room. In silence they undressed in the bathroom, steam clouding the mirror, and once under the warm spray of the shower, Bra relaxed. The water frequently ran brown at their feet with dirt and soil and old blood, and Bra loved the feeling of Pan scrubbing her back clean. It wasn’t unusual to just stay under the hot water for longer than necessary, aching muscles loosening. They’d discuss mistakes they had made that day, new moves they had picked up, old habits they were trying to break, a particularly vicious punch they had received or inflicted. 

Afterwards they sat on the floor in their pajamas, backs propped against the bed. Bra’s wet hair frequently still dripped on her t-shirt, and the feeling of being clean was glorious. They’d remove the silvery wrappings of their fast-food and eat while watching something silly on TV—sometimes a series they were catching up on, more often a soap opera they started watching together. 

And the best part was lying in bed together afterwards, legs intertwined and fingers caressing each other’s skin as well-deserved sleep finally caught up with them. She always felt contented as she started losing consciousness in the knowledge that she’d wake up next to Pan in the morning, sore but triumphant.


	27. Historic

Pan sat at a student café in Central City, waiting for Bra. The sun warmed her through the window, and she sat with her back to the wall, view of the front door unobstructed. She played with the foam on her coffee with a small spoon, drawing brown patterns on the creamy froth, stomach in knots. She knew Bra had been right, and knew that everything was fine after Bra’s smiley face in a message the previous night, but she couldn’t help but worry. She was sure Bra would show up with a sullen or regretful expression, saying this wasn’t worth the headache with her family. 

Her breath caught when Bra walked in and scanned the room with her eyes. Finding Pan sitting at the corner of the shop, she winked before walking over to the counter to order, astonishingly lovely with her hair in a high ponytail and pink tights under a black skirt. While Bra waited for her drink, she pulled out her phone, and Pan saw her own screen light up with <3<3<3 shortly thereafter, but she still wasn’t sure if she could breathe. 

Pan finally sighed in relief when Bra walked over, mug of tea in hand, and kissed her on the lips in greeting. 

“How are you doing?” Bra asked as she sat across from Pan. 

“Good, a little anxious, but good,” Pan replied, voice unsure. “Talking to my family went well. No one seemed particularly surprised or unsettled by the news that we’re together. If anything, they were all happy. My parents were actually super sweet too, they told me they had my back no matter what happened.”

“I guess that’s reassuring,” Bra said after initially sipping her tea. “Why are you anxious, then?”

“Because I have no idea how it went with _your_ family.” 

Bra rolled her eyes. “It was fine, trust me. I thought I’d get into a historic fight with my dad and that he’d wail endlessly about me ‘being in bed in one of Kakarotto’s progeny’, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. He just grunted and said you’re a ‘promising warrior’.”

Pan’s eyes widened. “He said I’m a promising warrior?”

Bra gave her a side glance as she sipped her tea again, and Pan saw she was smiling as she lowered her mug. “Don’t let that get to your head.” 

“I won’t, I just don’t think I’ve ever heard him praise anyone.”

“Oh, he doesn’t do it often. But don’t expect him to be warm towards you—hell, don’t expect him to be _nice_. But he’s not going to decapitate you as soon as he sees you again.” 

Pan nodded. “Fair enough.”

“And my mom and Trunks were happy about it.” Bra shrugged. “My mom said she’d be pleased about you hanging out at Capsule Corp more often. Pissed off my dad by offering you the gravity room without his consent, though.”

Pan groaned, mortified that she’d already caused a disagreement. Reading her expression, Bra helpfully said, “Don’t worry about it. They piss each other off all the time. It has nothing to do with you.”

Pan tried to recover. “Yeah, my parents invited you over for dinner. And next time you should come to our family picnic.”

“Deal,” Bra replied. “Now that’s out of the way, what do you want to do today?” 

Pan smiled, relieved. “Catch a movie and then head over to mine for dinner? I bought some shrimp, we can try doing something with it.”

Bra adorably wrinkled her nose. “You know I’m hopeless with cooking. I’m happy with whatever you want to cook.” 

“Ok, any movies you want to see?”

Bra shot her playful smile. “There’s a new movie in the Saiyaman franchise in theaters.”

Pan groaned before covering her face with her hands. “No, absolutely not. I’m not going near that, I don’t want to know anything about it.”

Bra laughed. “You’re so easy to tease.” With that she finished her mug of tea. “Come on, we can figure it out on the way to the cinema.” She stood up, and Pan followed suit, smiling with the reassurance that everything would be fine.


	28. Hands

As soon as she was back on the planet she searched for Bra’s ki, focus unwavering. She ignored her family, and when she pinpointed her location to the southwest she blasted off into the air, travelling as fast as she could in that direction. She barely noticed Vegeta was flying next to her, or that her father and grandfather had flown in the opposite direction, heading home. Her head was full of self-recrimination and regret, her chest tight, and the flight seemed both interminable and a blur. 

As soon as she saw the Capsule Corp domed structure in the distance, she thought her heart was going to stop. She identified Bra’s characteristic long, blue hair as she walked out onto the western lawn, looking up at the sky. She was followed by her mother and her brother, likely having felt Pan and Vegeta’s ki as they tore across the skies. 

Pan’s aura flickered as she dropped out of the air in front of Bra, landing on her feet. Her smile was shaky, anxious, and she hesitantly took Bra’s head in her hands. She looked the other woman over, inspecting her, taking her in. Bra had a radiant smile in turn, relaxed, letting Pan assure herself everything was fine. Relief finally flooded her, knowing Bra really was alright and alive again, and while she rarely initiated public kisses, she couldn’t keep herself from leaning in and fiercely kissing Bra. 

Pan then pulled her in for a strong hug, fingers buried in Bra’s smooth hair. She could feel the other’s heart beating steadily against her chest, ki strong and unwavering, and her eyes filled with tears again, overwhelmed. Pan buried her face against Bra’s neck. 

“I love you,” Pan whispered onto her skin. “I love you so damn much.” 

Bra tightened her arms around Pan, sighing. “I love you too, you dummy.”

Pan couldn’t hold back a choked laugh, and pulled back. She knew she was a mess, tears running down her face and mixing with the ashes, dirt and blood that were still on her cheeks. She tried to wipe them clean, smiling unsteadily, and incapable of breaking eye contact with Bra. 

Bra leaned in again to give her a soft kiss this time, then kissed her on the forehead as Pan almost sobbed. She then took Pan’s hand in hers. 

“Come on inside. Let’s have some tea and you can tell me about your adventures, then we’ll get you cleaned up,” Bra said gently. 

Pan squeezed Bra’s hand then pulled it so she could kiss its back, eyes closing. She took a deep breath, lips still against the soft skin. Pan then opened her eyes and gave Bra a tender smile before they went inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are. Thanks to everyone who followed the updates and joined me on this journey. I hope reading the daily snapshots was as fun for you as it was for me to write them.


End file.
